Bill Self’s Questionable Game Management Dooms Kansas vs St. John’s

Bill Self's poor coaching and game management were big factors that led the Jayhawks to a disappointing finish in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The No. 4 seed Kansas Jayhawks fell to No. 5 seed St. John’s 67-65 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. It’s the fourth straight season that KU has failed to reach the Sweet 16 – the first time that’s happened since 1981-85.

There are several reasons why the Jayhawks fell short, but the blame for this one starts right at the top with head coach Bill Self.

For most of the game, Kansas looked outmatched and unprepared for the intensity and style of play that St. John’s brought. From their full-court press to their 3-point shooting – KU didn’t seem to have the answer until they strung together a last-minute comeback in the last eight minutes of the game.

St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins was the main catalyst for the Red Storm in the first half, draining three of his five 3-point attempts. As a team, they went 7-of-23 from deep heading into halftime.

Self was unable to draw up a solution for Hopkins in the second half as he nailed another 3-of-4 3-pointers, including a back-breaking shot with about 1:29 left to put St. John’s up by four.

In addition to their 3-point defensive woes, KU also failed to make adjustments on getting the ball inbounds – something they struggled with at several times in the first half. That’s usually a Self specialty, but St. John’s length and athleticism gave KU fits the entire game.

But perhaps the most egregious coaching decision made by Self in Sunday’s game came when he decided to pull Kohl Rosario from the game with about three seconds in the game and put in Elmarko Jackson – whom he had benched for most of the second half in favor of Rosario.

Rosario provided a much-needed spark for the Jayhawks, scoring five points and grabbing two rebounds in almost 10 minutes of play. He also saved a ball late that led to a Tre White layup that put the Jayhawks within two with about one minute remaining.

He was playing great, but Self elected to put Jackson in for defense on what ended up being the final play of the game as St. John’s guard Dylan Darling drove past Jackson for the game-winning layup at the buzzer.

It was a pretty inexplicable decision by the Hall of Famer to put a guy into the game who had just sat for nearly 14 minutes over a player who had given KU a big boost off the bench, something they haven’t had much of all year. And it begs the question of whether or not Rosario should have been playing more this season instead of Jackson – who struggled often for KU but seemed to be in Self’s “circle of trust” when it came to playing time.

Kansas had the best player on the floor in Darryn Peterson. The Jayhawks outgained St. John's in rebounds, blocks, fast-break points, points in the paint and had a better free throw, field goal, and 3-point shooting percentage than the Red Storm – and lost. That does not happen if not for a lot of turnovers and very poor decision making from the KU coaching staff.

This game provided much more questions than answers for Self who has failed to guide this team to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since they went on their championship run in 2022. And those questions of his ability to properly manage a game when it matters most are only going to grow louder now that KU has once again fallen short of expectations.