Kansas State may be the program that feels Bill Self’s departure from Kansas most sharply.
That might sound backward in a rivalry that has tilted heavily toward the Jayhawks for years, but the numbers tell the story. Since Self arrived ahead of the 2003-04 season, Kansas has gone 43-9 against the Wildcats, an 83.7% win rate that borders on suffocating.
Self has seen off five different Kansas State coaches along the way: Jim Woolridge, Bob Huggins, Frank Martin, Bruce Weber and Jerome Tang. No matter who has been on the other sideline, the result has usually looked the same.
A big reason is Kansas’ recruiting edge. Self’s program has consistently been able to sell recruits on development and winning at a level Kansas State has struggled to match. Since Self came to Lawrence, the Wildcats have had 12 seasons with 20 or more wins, and all but one of those came before the 2019-20 season.
Even so, this is not a rivalry frozen in time. Kansas State has had some recent success, and Self’s toughest stretch against the Wildcats is actually the one fans are living through now, which lines up with the broader theme of consistency.
Since the 2022-23 season, Kansas has posted a 92-43 record. Against Kansas State, the last eight meetings have gone 5-3 in the Jayhawks’ favor, though only one of those games has been played in Manhattan.
In that span, Kansas has dropped games by scores of 83-82, 75-70 and 81-73.
The bigger question now is what happens next. Self’s retirement is expected sooner rather than later, and that kind of transition is never simple. Even if Kansas doesn’t fall off a cliff, replacing a legend is one of the hardest jobs in college basketball.
Kansas State, meanwhile, has been linked to former Belmont coach Casey Alexander as a potential answer. Alexander owns a 303-180 career record and most recently guided Belmont to a 166-60 mark with three regular-season titles.
Kansas will probably keep the upper hand in this series. But if Kansas State is going to carve out a real foothold, the window may be opening soon.
In Other News...
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Athletic director Travis Goff said the role drew a large candidate pool, including people from professional sports franchises, which gives a sense of how seriously Kansas is treating the move. For a department trying to keep pace in a changing college sports landscape, the addition signals a more business-minded approach to major programs, and it should be one of the more interesting new pieces to watch as Kansas continues to reshape how it operates. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Faces A Troubling 2026 Question Beyond Replacing Jalon Daniels
Kansas heads toward 2026 with more than one roster hole to fill, and the concern stretches well beyond the obvious task of replacing Jalon Daniels. The Jayhawks are dealing with a defense that has lost significant production through graduation and transfers, leaving questions in the pass rush, run defense and secondary after a run of injuries and roster turnover.
Cole Ballard is the leading candidate to take over at quarterback, but the job is still not locked down and the conversation around him has already turned to how his physical tools compare to Daniels. On top of that, the defense took another hit with Tulane transfer Tre'Von McAlpine reportedly out for the season with a knee injury, adding one more complication to a unit already trying to steady itself before 2026 arrives. [Read more 🡒]