During Bill Self’s first 20 years at Kansas, he won 16 Big 12 regular-season championships and never finished lower than third in the league. Fourteen of these conference titles have been collected in a row, which will likely never be duplicated again at the power conference level. When you combine this theory with two national championships, Self is not only a worthy member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, but also very high on the list of all-time great college basketball coaches.

But things slipped.

That’s not an opinion. That’s a fact. And the best way to explain it is to reiterate that during Self’s first 20 years at KU, he won 16 Big 12 regular-season championships and never finished lower than third in the league. But the past three seasons have played out differently, specifically:

• 21st year at KU for Self: 10-8 in Big 12, tied for fifth in league standings.
• 22nd year at KU for Self: 11-9 in Big 12, alone 6th in league standings.
• 23rd year with KU for Self: 1-2 in the Big 12, alone in 9th place in the league standings.

as I pointed out above Sunday episode of the Eye On College Basketball podcastAccording to , the Jayhawks are projected to finish 9-9 in the Big 12. KenPom.com. If that happens, they will have 30 wins and 26 losses in three years in the league, and will finish outside the top four in the conference standings for the third year in a row. that’s literally never Such incidents have occurred in Self’s first 20 years coaching this bloody program — but this season could be the third in a row unless Kansas outperforms current expectations.

College basketball buy or sell: Is Kansas’ Darrin Peterson still the best prospect in the 2026 NBA Draft?

Cameron Salerno

That’s why Tuesday night’s game against Iowa State inside Allen Fieldhouse will be a huge contest for Self and his program. There was a time, not so long ago, when you could never pick the Jayhawks at home, regardless of the opponent or their opponent’s ranking or record. However, as of Tuesday, Kansas is actually 16-0, 3.5 points behind second-place Iowa State in the CBS Sports Top 25&1 Daily College Basketball Rankings, updated Tuesday morning, and Arizona remains in first place.

Is KU still KU?

Tuesday is somehow a statement game in that regard. If the Jayhawks upset the Cyclones, it will serve as a reminder that they are still an elite program, coached by a Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach and led by a potential 2026 No. 1 overall pick (Darin Peterson). nba draft. That would be ideal for Kansas. But if the Jayhawks lose and fall to 1-3 in the Big 12, the thorny questions already floating around the program will likely become even more intense, and the questions more reasonable to ask.

Top 25 and 1 ranking