ST. LOUIS, Mo. — KU’s Bill Self says he’s happy to be in St. Louis. The Jayhawks were the first of the three Kansas teams in the NCAA Tournament to hit the practice floor Thursday afternoon at Scottrade Center. KU will play Eastern Kentucky on Friday afternoon at approximately 3:15.
The Jayhawks are sharing the St. Louis spotlight with in-state rival K-State and undefeated and No. 1 seed Wichita State. Self says basketball fans across the Sunflower State should be proud.
Self was asked about the status of Joel Embiid. The coach reiterated the freshman is making progress in rehab, but they’re taking it slow. Self is optimistic Embiid will practice next week, if KU is still alive in the tournament. But Embiid will not play this weekend.
Self also said the Jayhawks are leaning on Andrew Wiggins in the postseason.
“He has a flair for the moment, and that goes way back. It doesn’t guarantee playing great tomorrow,” Self said. “But it gives me a lot of confidence that he’ll be aggressive.”