Bill Self likens Kansas' Big 12 run to Wooden's UCLA teams, but won't go too far
Self says KU has a 'little ways to go' to be in the same conversation as Wooden's Bruins
By
Kyle Boone
•
1 min read
With a win over TCU on Wednesday, Bill Self’s Kansas program secured at least a share of its 13th straight Big 12 title.
That run of dominance in league play isn’t something we’ve seen in recent history, but there is a team out West -- the UCLA Bruins -- who had a similar run in the 60’s and 70’s under Hall of Fame coach John Wooden. Fair or not, naturally, comparisons are being made between the two programs, and Self did his best to compare and contrast the two on Wednesday night, as can be heard in the video below.
“Let’s put it in perspective,” Self said. “We won 13 [conference titles] in a row, they [UCLA] won 13 in row. They won 10 national championships in 12 years, we’ve won 1 in 13. So I still think we’ve got a little ways to go to catch that. I don’t think it’s right to be put in the same breath.”
What has made Self and Kansas’ run at KU potentially more difficult is the turnover the staff faces each year. Back in Wooden’s day, players didn’t have the option to go one-and-done like they can today. Elite college players could win three or four national titles before hopping to the professional ranks. But with KU, it has to reload almost on a yearly basis with turnover no program was forced to deal with back in UCLA’s run.
“Back then, guys played 3 years,” said Self. “Those guys didn’t leave early. We’ve had a quite a bit of turnover on our roster. So I do think the turnover in today’s time speaks well to the consistency of what these guys have been able to accomplish.”
Make no mistake, the conference dominance is as impressive as any we’ve seen in decades. What Kansas has been able to do in winning 13 straight is something we may not see again for many years. But for Self and Kansas, postseason success -- and winning national titles -- will be the accomplishment that ultimately puts them in position to stake a claim as one of the most dominant runs in college basketball in history. Right now, they’re in the discussion, but indeed, they have a ways to go.
