Self AP COY for 2016

More accolades for our guy.
Congrats, Bill!

KUSports.com: Bill Self named AP COY

Congrats to Coach. I'm very happy for him.

However, if we remove our crimson and blue glasses and are objective...

It pains me deeply to say this, but if the AP writers were to vote on performance in relation to original season expectations (since it's the AP in both cases), I'd have to think Roy Williams is more deserving--particularly if UNC goes all the way. Here's why:

(Preseason AP team ranking)

#1: UNC
#2: UK
#3: Maryland
#4: Kansas

(Tourney performance, top 4)

UNC: Final 4 and counting...
UK: Bounced in 2nd round
Maryland: Bounced in Sweet 16
KU: Bounced in Elite 8

So far, Roy is on track to go wire to wire in meeting performance expectations (and UNC's 1 seed)...while Self underperformed, relative to preseason expectations (and KU's 1 seed).

Yes, we KU fans like to talk about how he turned a problematic season around in mid-stream...but he came in with a loaded bucket of talent and was expected to do great with it (Final Four projection). So he has to be judged on that, IMO, not on the fact that his team took an unexpected dip and he helped turn them around after that (only to come up short in the Dance as the overall 1 seed).

Just a provocative thought.

The counter to my last post (which should've come to me before firing it off) is that the AP voters, like the coaching peers before them, appear to be factoring in two things that have nothing to do with post-season performance:

* The fact that Self coached KU to a league championship in by far the toughest conference (top to bottom) in the land this year;

* The fact that it's now Self's 12th straight year of winning that tough power conference, only one year shy of Wooden (and counting)

Given the above, I actually find the voting in both polls to be EXTREMELY REFRESHING...in that they are not just focused on the 6-game, single-elimination tourney as the be-all, end-all for coaching prowess.

In that vein, I retract my prior post as a caveat, despite my disappointment with how we came up short of expectations in the tourney, and offer Coach an unmitigated CONGRATULATIONS!

Sorry for the detour there...

In the CPA world what you did would be called "full disclosure".

JR--

I posted both thoughts without reading the original post's linked news article. Reason: I'd already seen the AP COY announcement on Twitter, and just didn't think I needed to click on the link to get any further info. So...my initial thought was the vote was just now concluded--with the regular season in mind, but also up to the FF results. That's why I initially commented that Roy would objectively be more deserving--if the voters had waited until the tourney were over and IF the Tarholes win it all (which I hope they won't!). In that case, he would've taken a team wire to wire as the #1 ranked team. And if you call my "book-closing" post on the season from the other day, THAT achievement is huge in my book. It happens about once every 4 tries, and it's something I hope to see KU do before I'm dead and gone. But again, I hope Roy and UNC don't get there. (Pulling for Cuse and OU Saturday, then OU to win it all)

As for the second post, hopefully the above acknowledgement (didn't read the original linked article) clears up that confusion. I would've worded it a bit differently, but the thought would still be germane. I think it's great that Self has been recognized by both peers and national-level commentators for his regular-season accomplishment(s), which are off the charts. It heartens me because it says that, if we get #13, it stands a chance of truly getting the level of respect nationally that it deserves. It's a ridiculously amazing (and exceptional) accomplishment.

As for Kruger over Self for COY, no way if the voting was done before the tourney. If it were done after, I'm with you--but only if Kruger gets in the NC game. What Self did over the long haul of the season--including to OU itself with Hield, and at their venue to boot--is worth one win in the tourney to me. If Kruger gets to the NC, he's taken two steps beyond Self, and I'd lean his way...if the voting were after the tourney (which it's not).

Hope this clears it up...

how they vote on COY before the NCAA tourney starts is a mystery me. Especially since the media (AP) mostly could care less about the regular season, and rave about the postseason.

I know, right?

"Strange days, indeed...most peculiar, mama..."