Bill Self explains Kansas' inability to guard Gonzaga in first-half
Shots have been going through the hoop in Salt Lake City, with Kansas and Gonzaga producing an entertaining game in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Us fans might like the action, but the two respective head coaches, especially Bill Self, cannot be happy with their team’s defense. Gonzaga has had a ton of success on the pick-and-roll, getting shots both from three and under the rim.
Self seems confident Kansas can figure things out in the second half, though. When speaking to CBS’ Dana Jacobson right before halftime, Self claimed the adjustments would come out of the locker room.
“Well, they’re playing their reserve and he’s a great shooter,” Self said. “We haven’t been able to get to him. And then we run at him and we’re leaving the basket uncovered. We’ll tighten it up in the second half.”
Braden Huff is the reserve Self is referring to, coming off the bench for Gonzaga. He leads the team with 11 points, six of which have come around the rim. But Huff has made one from deep, forcing Kansas to be ready for all scenarios when he is setting picks for the Gonzaga guards.
Samford was able to have an explosive second half against Kansas. Bucky Ball produced 51 points coming out of the break and was nearly able to pull off the upset. Gonzaga obviously plays a different style but will be hoping for similar results.
Kansas playing without its best defender is not helping the situation either. Kevin McCullar is out for the entirety of the NCAA Tournament, dealing with a knee injury. Had he been able to play on Saturday afternoon, Self would likely not have as many defensive issues to fix.
Even so, he is confident they can “tighten” the defense up in the final 20 minutes. Stopping the pick-and-roll will be something to watch down the stretch.
Thankfully, Kansas has been just as good as Gonzaga on the offensive end. The three-pointers have been hit when pulling up from deep, currently over 50%. So, as much as Self has seen his team struggle on defense, Mark Few is likely having the same type of conversations.
Kansas is looking to get back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament after losing at this stage last season. A lot of predictions had the Jayhawks losing early doors and they are hoping to prove people wrong.