University of Kansas

SportsBeat KC: Matching this KU team against Final Four squads, with Bill Self

Kansas coach Bill Self yells out to his players during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Tech, Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson)
Kansas coach Bill Self yells out to his players during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Tech, Saturday, March 7, 2020, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson) AP

College basketball should be preparing for the Final Four this week, and the likely overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Kansas, figured to have a good shot at reaching Atlanta.

The team that produced two national defensive players of the year, in center Udoka Azubuike and guard Marcus Garrett, could have been the fourth Bill Self-coached team to get to a Final Four.

Which got us wondering: How would the 2019-20 Jayhawks have stacked up against the Self-coached Final Four teams of 2008, 2012 and 2018? They were the best combination of talent and peaking in Self’s 17 seasons in Lawrence.

In this episode of The Star’s daily Sportsbeat KC podcast, Self explains the top traits of this year’s team, which won the Big 12 and finished 28-3, and breaks down his other Final Four KU teams with host Blair Kerkhoff.

Story links:

How Bill Self rates this KU all-star defensive team against his Final Four squads

Kansas’ Marcus Garrett named 2019-20 Naismith defensive player of the year

Udoka Azubuike named defensive player of the year by NABC

This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 2:45 PM with the headline "SportsBeat KC: Matching this KU team against Final Four squads, with Bill Self."

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Blair Kerkhoff
The Kansas City Star
Blair Kerkhoff has covered sports for The Kansas City Star since 1989. He was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
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