Ask Bill Self if OSU is a Tourney Team? ‘An Emphatic Yes’

When Bill Self showed up at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday, he knew several things. He knew that his team had already earned the Big 12 regular season championship and would own or share in that honor for the 14th straight season.

He knew that it was always tough coaching against his alma mater, especially in the arena where he spent time both as a player and an assistant coach.

He knew that the Cowboys would be fighting for their postseason lives, as well.

But after a wire-to-wire OSU victory that ended in a blowout, Self learned something new. He learned what it was like to go winless against a conference foe in a season. This was the first time in the Hall of Fame coach’s 15-year tenure in Lawrence that he has lost twice to the same opponent in one year.

Self is now 4-7 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena as the head coach of the Jayhawks, including going 1-3 in the last four trips. Add to that an 0-2 record when with Oral Roberts and Self has seen twice as much defeat as he has victory on Eddie Sutton Court.

Bubble talk

Self was asked the obvious question that will be repeated time and time again until Selection Sunday.

Is OSU an NCAA Tournament team?

“We win the league by two games and they are a lot better than us,” Self said. “They’re a lot better than us and we won the league by two games. So the two times we’ve played them it hadn’t even been close, in my opinion.

“So to ask if they are a tournament team my answer would be an emphatic yes. I don’t know how it all shapes out from the metrics that people study and look at, but I would say absolutely they are. In the two games that we played them they deserve to be in it more than we do.”

OSU has held leads of 18 points and 23 points in the two games the teams have played this year.

“I don’t know what it is, they just do a good job,” added senior guard Devonte’ Graham. “You got to give them a lot of credit. They played very well today, shooting the ball well.”

The Cowboys will get another chance to add to their case with a Bedlam Round 3 on Wednesday night in Kansas City.