‘Two slowest guards in the Big Eight’ will be coaches when KU Jayhawks play Colorado
Kansas’ Tad Boyle and Oklahoma State’s Bill Self engaged in some classic head-to-head matchups during their college basketball careers — ones that ran from the 1981-82 season to 1984-85.
In fact, Boyle, a 6-foot-4 guard out of Greeley (Colorado) Central High and Self, a 6-2 guard out of Edmond (Oklahoma) Memorial High, played against each other 10 times in four seasons.
The Jayhawks won five times; the Cowboys five times.
“I do remember those games, not specifically, but I do remember playing against Bill,” 12th-year Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball coach Boyle said Sunday in a phone interview with The Star. “We joke all the time … I was the only guy he could guard in the Big Eight and he was the only guy I could guard in the Big Eight.”
Self — his Kansas Jayhawks (9-1) will take on Boyle’s Buffs (9-3) in a nonconference game at 8 p.m. Central time Tuesday at CU Events Center in Boulder — indeed shares the same sentiments as Boyle concerning the duo’s own playing days.
“Tad and I were the two slowest guards in the Big Eight Conference from 1981 to ’85. I say that in all seriousness,” Self said with a smile in modestly assessing skill of the duo. “Tad is a really good dude. He was here Ted’s (Owens) last two years and Larry’s (Brown) first two years. He was captain of the team in 1985 and a just a really good guy. He’s done a great job at Colorado.”
Boyle returned the compliment Self’s way on Sunday.
“He was tough. He had toughness about him. He played hard, was gritty,” Boyle recalled. “He was everything as a player he is as a coach — rock solid.”
Self, who turns 59 on Dec. 27 and Boyle, who turns 59 on Jan. 6, have coached against each other six times at their current schools. Self’s Jayhawks have won five of the six meetings. Overall, KU holds a 124-40 advantage over CU.
Colorado won the last game played between the teams in Boulder — a 75-72 decision on Dec. 7, 2013.
“They have a good team,” Self said of a squad that is 1-1 in Pac-12 play this season (80-76 home win over Stanford and 73-61 road loss to UCLA). CU has won three straight games since a 69-54 loss to Tennessee on Dec. 4 in Boulder.
“Last time we went out there they made a half court shot (by Askia Booker) and beat us at the buzzer. They stormed the court and everything so we need to certainly be better than we were then,” Self added. “I’m excited for it. It’ll be a hard game but it was another game that we needed (on schedule). We needed a game like that today (80-72 win over Stephen F. Austin on Saturday) even though it wasn’t pretty, but we need to have a game we can play well but you still have to figure out a way to win. There were some good things, believe it or not today, but we’ve got to be better playing Colorado on Tuesday.”
CU is led by 6-9 sophomore forward Jabari Walker, who leads the Buffs in scoring (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg). He did not play the second half of CU’s 60-46 win over CSU Bakersfield on Saturday after getting hit in the head. His status for Tuesday’s game has yet to be announced.
KU is led by the high-scoring duo of Ochai Agbaji (22.0 ppg) and Christian Braun (16.8 ppg).
“It’s funny when they are on (TV) you catch part of a game here and part of a game there,” Boyle said. “Until you get ready to play them … that’s when you sit down and watch them (closely). We had a Saturday afternoon game so I watched them play Stephen F. Austin last night. Now you dig into them.
“Agbaji … 22 points a game, 48% (.484) from three, can put the ball on the floor. He is a tremendous college basketball player. Braun shoots 64% inside the arc. He’s so efficient. He makes shots. KU has guys who can make plays. Obviously we played against Remy four years,” Boyle added of former Arizona State guard Remy Martin. “We know his game and how talented he is.
“A guy like Dajuan Harris takes one shot last night and had such an impact on the game (hitting four clutch free throws late and orchestrating the offense). You’ve got (David) McCormack and (Mitch) Lightfoot has been there, what, 12 years? I remember him coming out of high school. I think I had a full head of hair back then. It’s been that long. They’re a good basketball team. Bill ... he knows they are probably not as good as he wants them to be and may not be where they’ll be at the end of the year, but right now they’re pretty darn good,” Boyle stated.
KU’s players will head home for the Christmas holiday after the game and return to Lawrence on Dec. 26 and start preparing for a home game against Harvard on Dec. 29. The team’s holiday clinic is Dec. 27.
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 9:12 AM with the headline "‘Two slowest guards in the Big Eight’ will be coaches when KU Jayhawks play Colorado."
