Kansas Coach Bill Self Faces Tough Lineup Calls

0:00On March 19th, Kansas coach Bill Self faces tough line of calls heading into the NCAA tournament after a shaky finish to the regular season. Power forward, Bryce and Tiller has hit a deep slump, posting weak numbers lately, while the bench has offered little spark. The J-Hawks fell short in the big 12 semi-finals to Houston, and now, Self must decide on starters and reserves. Tiller averaged just 5.1 points and 5.4 rebounds over his last seven games, shooting only 36.1% from the floor. He set out the entire second half against Houston, prompting talks of changes. Still, the team has leaned on his double-baked front court, with Tiller and center Florey Badunga to dominate the boards and defense. Fans and analysts wonder if it's time to shake up the starting 5, which includes Guards, Melvin Counsel Jr., Darren Peterson, and Trey White, alongside Tiller and Badunga. Smallball experiments with White at 4 showed promise but lack consistency, especially with spotty 3 points shooting across the roster.

1:02The real headache is the bench, which ranks in the bottom 15 nationally for points per game. Elmarco Jackson stands out as the top 6th man, and Jamari McDowell brings perimeter pop. Self could expand to 8 players by giving Cole Rosario real minutes, his athleticism, rebounding, and occasional 3s, added energy and tough spots, like the Houston loss. These tweaks could make her break Kansas in March, balancing Tiller's potential rebound with fresh legs off the pine to push deeper into the tournament.