KU expecting Self to coach during NCAA Tournament

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Kansas Jayhawks are expecting the return of head coach Bill Self when the NCAA Tournament begins next week.

Assistant coach Norm Roberts, who served as the interim coach during this weekend’s Big 12 Tournament, said the 20th-year Kansas coach is expected to be back on the sidelines.

“He’s doing well,” Roberts said Saturday night following a 76-56 loss to Texas. “We plan on him coaching next week.”

Kansas played seven games this season without Self on the sidelines and were without the 60-year-old coach for the entirety of this weekend after he was taken to the hospital Wednesday night. The University announced that Self had a “standard procedure that went well.”

The Jayhawks will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 27-7 record and as Big 12 regular season champions. KU is expected to be a No. 1 seed and will likely play its first weekend of games in Des Moines, Iowa.

On Friday, Self was named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith College Coach of the Year.