It wasn't pretty. Bill Self said as much multiple times after it was over. Still, when you're playing against another blue-blood program, and coaching against another Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach, it's hard to feel bad about any victory, ugly as it might be. So, even though his team shot below 30% from 3-point range, and even though only one of his players scored more than 11 points, Self managed to crack a smile following Tuesday night's 77-69 win over Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans in Game 1 of the Champions Classic.
"That was ugly," Self said through a grin just before he was reminded that, with the win inside Atlanta's State Farm Arena, he is now officially the winningest coach in Kansas basketball history with 591 victories while on the sideline for the Jayhawks.
Klay Thompson isn't the only person who got a tribute video Tuesday.
Built by many, led by one. pic.twitter.com/88StSDHmjh
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) November 13, 2024
Mike Vernon highlighted some of Self's accomplishments. His list, in part, looked like this:
- Record as KU coach: 591-143
- Record inside Allen Fieldhouse: 316-18
- Record vs. Duke/North Carolina/UConn/UCLA: 28-12
- Record vs. Top 25: 122-68
- Big 12 titles: 16
- Final Fours: 4
- National Championships: 2
"He's the best coach in Kansas history — and one of the best in college basketball history," said Kansas fifth-year senior Hunter Dickinson, who finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds against Michigan State. "He'll never want the shine. But that's the truth."
With the win, Kansas is now 3-0 with victories over North Carolina and Michigan State — and still No. 1 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Next up for the Jayhawks is Saturday's game with Oakland. KU's next high-profile matchup will come two days before Thanksgiving when the Jayhawks face Cooper Flagg and Duke in Las Vegas.
The biggest mover in the Top 25 And 1 is Kentucky, which went from unranked to No. 13 thanks to Tuesday's 77-72 victory over Duke in Game 2 of the Champions Classic. The Wildcats' move into the rankings pushed Marquette and everybody below Marquette down one spot each, no fault of their own. If you're a VCU fan wondering what happened, your Rams have merely been pushed down to what amounts to No. 27.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 77-69 win over Michigan State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Oakland. | -- | 3-0 |
| 2 |  | Grant Nelson finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 72-64 win over McNeese. The Crimson Tide's next game is Friday at Purdue. | -- | 3-0 |
| 3 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 21 points and three assists in Saturday's 74-69 win over Houston. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Kent State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 4 |  | RJ Davis missed 12 of the 15 shots he attempted in Friday's 92-89 loss at Kansas. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against American. | -- | 1-1 |
| 5 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 17 points and four assists in Saturday's 92-53 win over New Hampshire. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Le Moyne. | -- | 2-0 |
| 6 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 20 points and five assists in Monday's 82-56 win over Kansas City. The Cyclones' next game is Monday against IU Indy. | -- | 2-0 |
| 7 |  | Braden Huff finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Sunday's 88-80 win over Arizona State. The Zags' next game is Friday against UMass Lowell. | -- | 2-0 |
| 8 |  | L.J. Cryer missed nine of the 14 shots he attempted in Saturday's 74-69 loss to Auburn. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Louisiana. | 1 | 1-1 |
| 9 |  | Braden Smith finished with 22 points and five steals in Monday's 92-84 win over Yale. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Alabama. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 10 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 19 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 77-55 win at Louisville. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Montana. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 11 |  | Bruce Thornton finished with 20 points and five assists in Monday's 80-72 win over Texas. The Buckeyes' next game is Monday against Youngstown State. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 12 |  | Tobe Awaka finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 102-44 win over Old Dominion. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Wisconsin. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 13 |  | Andrew Carr finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 77-72 win over Duke. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Lipscomb. | NR | 3-0 |
| 14 |  | Kon Knueppel missed 15 of the 20 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 77-72 loss to Kentucky. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Wofford. | 6 | 2-1 |
| 15 |  | Stevie Mitchell finished with 17 points and three steals in Monday's 70-62 win over Central Michigan. The Golden Eagles' next game is Friday against Maryland. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 16 |  | Mackenzie Mgbako finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 90-55 win over Eastern Illinois. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday against South Carolina. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 17 |  | Jayden Nunn finished with 19 points and four assists in Tuesday's 104-67 win over Sam Houston. The Bears' next game is Sunday against Tarleton State. | 1 | 2-1 |
| 18 |  | Johnell Davis was 0-of-5 from 3-point range in Saturday's 72-67 loss to Baylor. The Razorbacks' next game is Wednesday against Troy. | 1 | 1-1 |
| 19 |  | Tre Johnson finished with 19 points and two rebounds in Tuesday's 105-58 win over Chicago State. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday against Mississippi Valley State. | 1 | 2-1 |
| 20 |  | Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 96-70 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Bluejays' next game is Wednesday against Houston Christian. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 21 |  | Zhuric Phelps finished with 16 points and seven assists in Monday's 97-71 win over Lamar. The Aggies' next game is Friday against Ohio State. | 1 | 2-1 |
| 22 |  | Rueben Chinyelu finished with 14 points and three rebounds in Monday's 86-62 win over Grambling. The Gators' next game is Friday at Florida State. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 23 |  | Dylan Harper finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Monday's 75-65 win over Saint Peter's. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Friday against Monmouth. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 24 |  | Dillon Mitchell finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 83-56 win over Morehead State. The Bearcats' next game is Friday against Nicholls. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 25 |  | Sean Pedulia finished with 27 points and four steals in Tuesday's 64-54 win over South Alabama. The Rebels' next game is Saturday against Colorado State. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 26 |  | RJ Luis Jr. finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 96-73 win over Quinnipiac. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday against Wagner. | 1 | 2-0 |
