Kansas basketball coach Bill Self says he’s glad Big 12 Mexico initiative was pushed back

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LAWRENCE — When the Big 12 Conference announced its Big 12 Mexico initiative last year, it included putting Kansas’ men’s and women’s basketball programs at the forefront.

The two Jayhawks teams would face their Houston Cougars counterparts in Dec. 2024 in Mexico City. They’d all play a part in Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s desire to grow the conference’s brand, while also providing new experiences for athletes and potential name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities. And they wouldn’t count against any of the teams’ conference records.

But earlier this month, the Big 12 announced Big 12 Mexico has been delayed and now has a target date of 2025. In a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the conference pointed to other new initiatives — including adding new schools to the Big 12 — as reasons why. Speaking Thursday, Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self did not express disappointment about the decision.

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“I’m glad,” Self said at his team’s end-of-season banquet. “Yeah, I’m glad. Our schedule is loaded enough. I should say I’m excited about it, period, but that would probably be an overstatement. That’s a long way to go for one game. So, we’ll be team players and try to help the league but that’s not one — I’m probably glad that we’re not doing that.”

This past season alone saw Self’s Kansas squad play Kentucky (neutral), Marquette (neutral), Tennessee (neutral), UConn (home), Missouri (home) and Indiana (away) in non-conference play. That’s before competing in one of the best, if not the best, conferences in the nation. Brandon Schneider, the Jayhawks’ women’s basketball coach, had a schedule this past season for his side that included non-conference games against Penn State (away), Virginia Tech…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-basketball-coach-bill-self-170823035.html

Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal

Publish date : 2024-04-12 17:08:23

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