The man has ruined more of my brackets than anyone else, mostly because his teams almost always underaachieve come tournament time. Kansas was handed maybe the toughest region in the tournament...but that was because of #2 seed THE Ohio State University, #3 seed George...nevermind, and #4 seed Maryland. #9 seed Northern Iowa never factored into this designation. And why would they?
Looking back at the box score, absolutely nothing jumps out at me. N. Iowa shot less than 35% from 3 point land, and just 40% from the field (Kansas shot 44%). The only stat that points to the upset is the 15 Kansas turnovers they forced. This points to a choke job, which really shouldn't be that much of a surprise from a Bill Self coached team.
I figured I had to stop piling on Bill Self after Kansas won it all in 2008, but let's review that title-winning team: They were 1 shot away from losing to Davidson in the Elite Eight, and only an epic choke job at the free throw line in the title game by Memphis allowed Bill Self and his team to claim the title.
When I filled out my bracket, I picked Kansas to win it all. Once I had finished, I thought about changing my bracket, as I have been burned by Bill Self teams at least 3 times in the past. I declined to make a change, as I figured if I went away from my first thought I would regret it. I forgot that this isn't the SAT, but real life, and in real life, the percentages say that Bill Self teams will implode when you count on them.
Congratulations Bill Self, you have successfully steered your team to yet another gross underachievement. Hopefully I won't trust you for at least another 3 years.
Signed,
Angry Bracketeer
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