KANSAS CITY, Mo. — University of Kansas men's basketball head coach Bill Self said that, while he thought winning the 2022 NCAA Championship would be great, it turned out to be better than he ever imagined.
"Better than I even thought it would," Self said. "I think the way we won made it even more special. That was a special comeback."
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The Jayhawks were down 40-25 at the half, but Self told the team at the half that they could still win.
"To win when your team had to fight and come back the way they did, and show that much grit, it makes this one off the charts," Self said.
This will be Self's second national title, the first being in 2008, but the KU coach has been close to winning before. KU made it to the 2012 NCAA Championship game and made it to the Final Four in 2018.
Self said he has never felt more connected to group than this year's team.
When asked about his 2020 team, who were favored in the tournament before it was canceled due to the pandemic, Self said that Monday night's win was for them as well.
"To me, this was partially a win for them too," Self said.
Self was also asked about what his father would have said to him about this win.Self's father passed away in January, but Self said that he would have been proud of this team.
"He always felt that nothing was ever given, everything had to be earned," Self said. "I think that he would be very proud of this team because he knows without question that they earned what happened tonight."
