Come To Think Of It...A Self-ish Reason Why Kansas Won

You could just see the tension in the man's face as he spoke at halftime of the UCLA game.

This is the face of a man who feels the pressure. A man who knows he has to win today and finally end his Final Four drought.

Kansas is a No. 1 seed playing a No. 10. They are ten point favorites. I know Davidson is a good team and have been playing extremely well, but Kansas coach Bill Self has to guide his Jayhawks to victory or he might as well not come home.

For if he comes homeward bound without a victory in hand, he might find his possessions in boxes out in the street.

No thoughts escaping, no music playing, no love lies waiting silently for him.

For Bill Self, you see, has never made the Final Four.

Four times, with three different schools, Self has made it this far.

All four times his teams have lost.

Among active coaches, he has the most NCAA tournament victories without a Final Four appearance.

By all accounts, Self is a great guy, loved by all who know him. But he was vilified here in Illinois for the way he abandoned the program, only days after telling the world that he was happy at Illinois and wasn't going anywhere.

His overall record is 346-137. But for him to reach the ranks of the great coaches, he has to do better than the Elite Eight. 

And if he loses again...?

Oh, there will be the congratulations from a few on a nice season. And I'm sure Self will say all the right things at the news conference. But all his words will come back to him in shades of mediocrity. And like emptiness in harmony, he'll need someone to comfort him.

'Cept no one will be there. Win or else, baby.

Come to think of it, that's the way life is.

UPDATE: Self must have felt that gorilla jump off his shoulders following the Kansas victory today. He finally has made a Final Four and that's a HUGE relief to Self. Not that Kansas fans don't want to keep winning, but I think Self can at least keep his job (and his sanity) now regardless of what's to follow.