Bill Self to miss Kansas' NCAA Tournament game vs. Howard following health issue

Kansas has announced head basketball coach Bill Self’s status ahead of the Jayhawks’ opening game in the NCAA Tournament. Per a team release, the Jayhawks revealed the ailing Self will miss yet another game as part of a recent undisclosed health problem that also caused him to miss the Big 12 Tournament.

Instead, it will once again be head assistant Norm Roberts leading the charge for Kansas as they take on No. 16 seed Howard today in the round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament.

Here was Kansas’ message upon announcing the latest on Self

“Kansas Men’s Basketball Coach Bill Self will miss today’s NCAA Tournament game versus Howard but continues to progress well from a recent health issue. Assistant Coach Norm Roberts will serve as acting head coach today.”

Kansas will take on Howard at 2 p.m. ET and 1 p.m. CT in Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, and the game airs on TBS. You can also stream it on the NCAA March Madness app or website.

Norm Roberts says Bill Self is day-to-day

While Coach Self won’t be on the sidelines vs. Howard, the Jayhwaks are hoping to have him back for the NCAA Tournament at some point after earning a No. 1 seed in the West Region. If the comments of interim coach Norm Roberts or star Jalen Wilson is any indication, that appears to be well on track.

“He’s doing well today,” Roberts said. “He was at practice today, he was at practice last night and all of our meetings. He’s doing well, he’s getting better all the time. We’re hopeful and everything is day-to-day with him, but if you ask our guys he got after them pretty good today so he was doing really well.”

Self was discharged from the University of Kansas Health System on Sunday, moving a step closer toward a return to normal activities.

Still, Bill Self’s status is the major storyline for the Kansas program. By all accounts he seems to be rounding back into form at a quick pace, with Wilson noting he looked just fine at practice earlier this week.

“He’s looking great, feeling great,” Wilson said. “We were able to talk to him today at practice and, you know, he’s excited. We’re all excited. It’s great to have him back on the court with us. For him to be able to coach us and start off tomorrow with a bang.”