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Monday Bill Self: Automatic
Last night, an age-old question was answered. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? The unstoppable force, in this case, was Bill Self on a Monday. He’s amassed a ridiculous 58-15 record on Mondays with the Jayhawks, including a 35-0(!) record at home on the worst day of the week. I’m fighting the urge to make a Garfield joke right now. The immovable object last night was a Big 12 team at home. #3 Kansas squared off against #24 TCU in Fort Worth, which usually means this season that the Horned Frogs would have came out with the W. Big 12 teams are nearly unstoppable at home, even with how competitive the conference has been this season. That didn’t stop Gradey Dick and the Jayhawks from pulling off a W. Led by Dick’s 19 points and 6 rebounds, Kansas put together a complete team game to knock off TCU.
It seems like Kansas has been playing its best basketball of the season as of late. They’ve ripped off five straight wins, with three of those coming on the road against Big 12 opponents. After last night’s win, they have a legitimate reason to be considered with Alabama and Houston as the #1 overall seed in the nation. But that shouldn’t be their highest achievement of the season. This team is a title contender and may end up being my pick when I fill out my March Madness brackets in a few weeks. They have two dynamic scorers in Dick and Jalen Wilson, solid guard play, and championship pedigree with one of the best coaches in the nation. It’s incredibly difficult to repeat in college basketball, but if any team can do it, it’s this Kansas squad.
Out West
Remember the UCLA Bruins? The team who made the Elite 8 last season, and the Final Four the year before? Speaking of championship pedigree, the Bruins have flown under the radar for most of this season but now sit at #4 in the latest AP Top 25. Led by the same Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell that led them to deep tournament runs in the last two seasons, UCLA has rebounded from a pedestrian start by their standards. They lost early in the season to Illinois, who was ranked at the time, and Baylor, who was a top 5 team in the country. Now, I know what you’re going to say. “Matt, the Pac-12 sucks. It’s a terrible basketball conference.” And you know what? You’re right. But one thing that can trump a lackluster conference when the ball is tipped in March is experience, and man does this UCLA team have it. I’ve spoken about their experience in the madness, and the same core is returning for another run this season. They might not have the firepower to win it all this year, which would spell a disappointing end to Jaquez and Campbell’s careers with the Bruins, but all I’m saying is that you should keep an eye on them in the Pac-12 tournament. If they dominate that tournament like I expect them to, another Final Four appearance isn’t out of the question.
