Kansas' Bill Self Calls Elite 8 'The Hardest Game in the Tournament to Not Win'

The No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks are back in the Elite Eight for the first time since the 2017-18 season, and head coach Bill Self knows his team's matchup against the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes will be a difficult one. 

Self said, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg:

"It's the hardest game in the tournament to not win. You can talk about first round, you can talk about whatever, it's the hardest game. The national championship finals, at least you're playing for it all. But this one, every goal of every team is road to the Final Four. It's not road to the national championship. It's road to the Final Four."

Self, who has been head coach of the Jayhawks since 2003, owns a 3-5 record in the Elite Eight. 

The Jayhawks reached the Elite Eight by defeating Texas Southern, Creighton and Providence behind solid performances from Remy Martin, Jalen Wilson and Ochai Agbaji. Martin, in particular, has been impressive over the last two games, scoring 20 points against Creighton and 23 against Providence, which led the Jayhawks. 

Miami, meanwhile, has been one of the most impressive and gritty team's in the nation, defeating USC, Auburn and Iowa State en route to the Elite Eight. It has been quite the turnaround for the Hurricanes, who finished 10-17 last season.

Self also addressed the Jayhawks' mindset entering Sunday's game against Miami, telling reporters he hopes his team get rights after it: 

"I think, first of all, I don't want them to think 'get through.' I want them to think 'attack it.' 'Get through' is a defensive deal hoping to hang on to something. I want them to play like they're going to take it. So that's the mindset. And this team has had—there's no guarantee that anybody is going to play good the next day. What happens today, even though you want to practice well, doesn't guarantee success tomorrow. But the mindset of having a team that has some swagger about them, that likes the big moments, I think, gives me and them quite a bit of confidence."

Kansas last reached the Final Four in 2018, defeating the Duke Blue Devils. However, they fell to Villanova, the eventual champion, in the next round. Before that, the Jayhawks fell in the Elite Eight in both 2016 and 2017.

Kansas hasn't won the NCAA title since 2008, Self's fifth season as head coach of the Jayhawks. Given the way Miami has played as of late, there's no guarantee Self's squad reaches the next round.