Biggest losses during Kansas coach Bill Self's college basketball coaching career
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self is among the best coaches in college basketball history.
In his 32-year coaching career, Self has won 832 games, two national championships and twice been named the Associated Press Coach of the Year. With those hefty accolades, Self has been a coach long enough that he is not immune to some bad losses, either.
Self and the Jayhawks suffered a 91-57 defeat at the hands of BYU, which was the third-worst loss in program history. The 34-point loss tied for Self's worst margin of defeat in his Kansas career, which started ahead of the 2003-04 season. Self and the Jayhawks also lost by 34 points to USC in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Kansas opened the 2024-25 season as the preseason No. 1 ranked team in the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll. The Jayhawks (17-9, 8-7 Big 12) entered the week ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll and five out of their previous eight games following a 14-4 start to the season. Paste BN and ESPN's Joe Lunardi bracketology had Kansas as a No. 5 seed entering play on Tuesday, ahead of its loss to BYU.
Despite the embarrassing and shocking loss for the Jayhawks, they are still well-postioned for an NCAA tournament berth. And if any coach in the nation can overcome a devastating blowout loss, it will be Self, who has done so before.
Here's a look at Self's worst losses during his career and at Kansas:
Worst losses in Bill Self's career
Self and Kansas' 34-point loss to BYU on Tuesday goes down and tied for ninth for the worst loss during his coaching career, which includes stops at Oral Roberts, Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas.
- 1. Dec. 10, 1993: Washington State 98, Oral Roberts 50 (48 points)
- 2. Dec. 10, 1994: Tulsa 99, Oral Roberts 54 (45 points)
- 3. Nov. 29, 1993: Mississippi State 94, Oral Roberts 52 (42 points)
- 4. March 14, 1999: Duke 97, Tulsa 56 (41 points) NCAA Tournament
- 5. Jan. 11, 1995: Oklahoma State 84, Oral Roberts 45 (39 points)
- 6. Nov. 21, 1997: Gonzaga 78, Tulsa 40 (38 points)
- 7. Feb. 28, 1994: Texas 106, Oral Roberts 69 (37 points)
- 8. Feb. 11, 1995: Missouri 89, Oral Roberts 53 (36 points)
- T-9. Jan. 18, 1995: Oklahoma 87, Oral Roberts 53 (34 points)
- T-9. Dec. 21, 1995: Oklahoma 87, Oral Roberts 53 (34 points)
- T-9. Feb. 18, 2025: BYU 91, Kansas 57 (34 points)
- T-9. March 23, 2021: USC 85, Kansas 61 (34 points)
- T-13. Feb. 1, 1994: Western Kentucky 87, Oral Roberts (32 points)
- T-13. Nov. 18, 2014: Kentucky 72, Kansas 40 (32 points)
- 15. Jan. 26, 2002: Indiana 88, Illinois 57 (31 points)
Worst losses in Bill Self's career with Kansas
Self's 34-point loss was tied for his worst loss with Kansas since he took over as the head coach in 2003. It matched a 2021 NCAA Tournament loss to USC.
- T-1. Feb. 18, 2025: Lost by 34 points to BYU
- T-1. March 23, 2021: Lost by 34 points to Southern California
- 3. Nov. 18, 2014: Lost by 32 points to Kentucky
- 4. March 9, 2024: Lost by 30 points to Houston
- T-5. Feb. 12, 2024: Lost by 29 points to Texas Tech
- T-5. Feb. 2, 2019: Lost by 29 points to Texas Tech
- T-7. Dec. 22, 2014: Lost by 25 points to Temple
- T-7. Feb. 25, 2006: Lost by 25 points to Texas
- T-7. Jan. 2, 2021: Lost by 25 points to Texas
- T-10. March 9, 2013: Lost by 23 points to Baylor
- T-10. Jan. 21, 2023: Lost by 23 points to TCU