March Madness: Kansas cruises to a 96-68 first-round win over Howard without recovering Bill Self

Taking over for Bill Self, who continues to recover from a recent heart procedure, Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts led the Jayhawks to an easy first-round victory over Howard against vice president Kamala Harris in Des Moines on Thursday.

Jalen Wilson had 20 points and seven rebounds for the No. 1 seed and defending national champion Jayhawks, who cruised to a 96-68 victory.

Self is still recovering from a recent heart procedure. He traveled to Des Moines with the Jayhawks and led the team’s practice Wednesday, but did not attend the team’s media availability. Roberts said that Self had returned to the hotel to rest.

Self’s status for a possible second-round game on Saturday was unknown.

“I’m better,” Self said in a pregame interview on the team’s radio network. I feel stronger and everything. I don’t think he’s at the point where he could be very good for our team if he was there.’

Kansas Jayhawks players celebrate against the Howard Bison during the second half of the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday.

Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts after a play against Howard Bison during the first half at Wells Fargo Arena.

Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts after a play against Howard Bison during the first half at Wells Fargo Arena.

Self added that he has been watching as many videos as he usually does to prepare for the games and that Roberts and the rest of the staff have been doing their jobs well.

Gradey Dick had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the freshman’s NCAA Tournament opener. KJ Adams Jr. scored 13 points and Dajuan Harris Jr. added 11 points for the Jayhawks (28-7), who play the winner of the second-round game between Arkansas and Illinois on Saturday.

Kansas, which has won 16 straight first-round games, is trying to become the first repeat NCAA winner in 16 years.

Shy Odom had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Bison (22-13), who were making their first tournament appearance for the program since 1992.

The Jayhawks began their NCAA-record 33rd consecutive tournament appearance with assistant coach Norm Roberts running the show, a rare sight without Self barking orders from the bench. Self, 60, who is in his 20th season at Kansas, underwent a standard heart procedure to treat blocked arteries in his heart last week that prevented him from training in the Big 12 Tournament.

He went to the ER on the night of March 8, shortly after watching the Jayhawks hold a final target practice before the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. He complained of chest tightness and concerns with his balance.

Dr. Mark Wiley, chief of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Kansas Health System, said Self, 60, underwent a standard cardiac catheterization and had two stents placed to help treat blocked arteries.

Kansas head coach Bill Self applauds his team's play against Texas Tech during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lawrence on February 28.

Kansas head coach Bill Self applauds his team’s play against Texas Tech during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lawrence on February 28.

Roberts coached the Jayhawks in the Big 12 Tournament. He also served as interim coach earlier in the season while Self served a four-game suspension imposed by the school.

The Jayhawks lost in the Big 12 title game to Texas, but their 15-6 record in NCAA-ranked Quad 1 games was unmatched in the country by a new team that lost most of their best players from last year. championship team.

Kansas isn’t that deep, but the Jayhawks move and share the ball at a breakneck pace that ultimately proved too much for the Bison.

Howard took the lead five times in the second half, but Kansas always responded, often with a well-placed hand on a passing lane for a steal and a fast-break finish. Then there were the alley-oops, with Harris and Kevin McCullar Jr. each lobbing a textbook lob off the drive to Ernest Udeh Jr. for a rim-rocking dunk in the first half. Harris also found Adams for one.

Kansas Jayhawks guard Gradey Dick (4) dribbles the ball against Howard Bison forward Jordan Wood (24) during the first half at Wells Fargo Arena.

Kansas Jayhawks guard Gradey Dick (4) dribbles the ball against Howard Bison forward Jordan Wood (24) during the first half at Wells Fargo Arena.

Howard’s rare appearance on the big stage came exactly five years after UMBC’s knockout of Virginia, the only time a No. 16 seed has beaten a No. 1. The Bison were the 149th team to try. .

Wearing their Black History Month jerseys with green trim and a red “Mecca” script across the front, a reference to Howard’s nickname as the most prominent historically black university in the country, the Bison took the field with plenty of confidence.

Elijah Hawkins hit an early 3-pointer and pointed to his forearm to indicate ice was in his veins. Kobe Dickson flexed his right arm after making a layup.

Coach Kenneth Blakeney, whose team went 4-29 in his first season in 2019-20, substituted hockey-style in the first half with five-man units to keep his team fresh. The Bison’s game against Kentucky in November, a 95-63 loss, gave them a taste of this level of competition, but the Middle East Athletic Conference champions couldn’t match the speed and athleticism the Jayhawks boast.