By SAM LANCE
ATLANTA — When Bill Self entered the locker room after Kansas defeated Michigan State 77-69 in the Champions Classic, he was showered with a Gatorade cooler and water bottles from several players.
Kansas had just grabbed a big win to move to 3-0, mostly due to the play of Hunter Dickinson and his 28 points and 12 rebounds. But it wasn’t just any win. The victory etched Self in Kansas basketball history. Self, in his 22nd season as the Jayhawks head man, now has more wins than any coach in KU’s storied program. He grabbed No. 591 on Tuesday, passing a legend in Phog Allen.
“I didn’t have any idea what was going on,” Self said of his postgame shower. “I go back there, and I figured it’d probably be the guys that are most pissed off at me that got me the most [wet]. But yeah, it was great.”
Congrats to the
on 591
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— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) November 13, 2024
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Self doesn’t just have KU’s most all-time wins. He has two titles, four Final Four appearances, 16 Big 12 titles and three National Coach of the Year awards. We could go on and on with impressive numbers.
“It’s really special,” Dickinson said postgame. “He’s never going to admit it. He’s always going to try to downplay it and give off the credit, but he’s the best coach in Kansas basketball history. We’re super special and fortunate to be playing for him.”
To Self, the accomplishment doesn’t really matter much.
“It’s nice,” he said. “I guess I’d rather have it than not have it. But that to me doesn’t really drive me any way, shape, or form. I’d much rather figure out a way to just get better through it. I’ve always thought, if you take care of your business, all those things just take care of themselves at the end.
Self continued:
“Let’s not get this twisted. Phog Allen coached there for 39 years. The building is named after him. He recruited Wilt [Chamberlain]. He got Allen Fieldhouse built. He won a National Championship in ’52. He recruited and coached the two best big men in the world. There’s a lot of things that he did in his time that goes unnoticed because it wasn’t near as popular as what it is now and as recognizable. So I’m not getting too carried away with it.”
Two former greats under Self, Frank Mason and Mario Chalmers, were in attendance for the game to witness Self’s accomplishment. Those two have combined for 211 of Self’s 591 dubs. Kansas also made T-shirts with “591” written on it for the players to wear.
“I know the fans realize that he’s the best coach to come through here,” Dickinson said. “We’re just trying to win more basketball games for him, try to make him even better than he is.”
As for the game, this one was sluggish offensively throughout. Both teams ended the night shooting under 41% from the field and were a combined 8-of-41 from 3-point range. Tom Izzo said postgame he and Self agreed they both “sucked” scoring the basketball.
“I don’t think either one of us were happy on the court,” Izzo said. “The only thing that was happy for Bill and I is we were both miserable, and that was a good thing. I told him, we’ll talk during the week. We don’t play each other again, thank God.”
Dajuan Harris (11 points) and Rylan Griffen (10 points) were the only other two Kansas players in double-figures. Zeke Mayo struggled shooting the ball after his masterful performance against North Carolina and ended with just six points. However, he helped Kansas out in other areas, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out seven assists.
Dickinson and his dominating performance in the paint was the story of the game. The former Michigan center received boos from Michigan State fans throughout the contest, but it didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, there were multiple instances where he egged on the crowd.
— We good? (@gifhawk2) November 13, 2024
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On the Michigan State side, Frankie Fidler (15 points) and Jaxon Koehler (12 points) led the way offensively. The Spartans were out-rebounded by four and outscored in the paint by six.
Kansas moves to 3-0 on the season and Michigan State drops to 2-1. Both teams will be back in action on Saturday. The Jayhawks play at home against Oakland and Michigan State hosts Bowling Green.
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