WATCH: Bill Self tries locker room sneak attack during celebration
Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks clinched their spot in the Final Four with a dominant 76-50 win over Miami to win the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. After punching their ticket to New Orleans and the first Final Four appearance since 2018, the team held a big locker room celebration.
After finishing his required media session and other coaching duties, Bill Self entered the locker room where his entire team waited to celebrate. He then attempted to pull of a sneak attack which backfired with retaliation.
Self hid two bottles behind his back as he faked a postgame speech, then lunged toward the middle of the room and sprayed his players with water. The players, planning their own sneak attack, responded by pulling the water bottles from behind their backs and soaking their head coach in the middle of the room.
Kansas will now face Villanova in the Final Four, playing that game on Apr. 2 with a chance to compete in the national championship game the following Monday.
Kansas advances to Final Four
Bill Self and the heavily favored 1-seed Kansas Jayhawks did not have the start they had hoped for in the Elite Eight against the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes, but the Jayhawks turned in as dominant a second-half performance as they’ve strung together all year and walked away with an 76-50 victory.
After a subpar defensive effort in the first, Self gave Kansas credit for the way the team rebounded — and rightfully so. By the end of the game, Miami had put together one of its worst offensive performances of the year: Kansas held the Hurricanes to 15 second-half points, with Miami’s previous season-low total being 31.
With that, Bill Self celebrates with his players after another career accomplishment. He has led the Kansas Jayhawks back to the Final Four for the first time since 2018, and the fourth time in his Kansas career (2008, 2012, 2018). When Kansas heads down to New Orleans for the Final Four, it will face the No. 2-seeded Villanova Wildcats, which emerged from the South region as champions.