St. John’s stuns Kansas at the buzzer to reach Sweet 16 (0:49)Dylan Darling’s first basket of the game is a layup as time expires to win it for St. John’s in dramatic fashion. (0:49)
Paolo UggettiMar 22, 2026, 09:40 PM ETMultiple Authors
Self then clarified that his decision will not be based on any on-court factors but rather on his health.
In 2023, he underwent a “standard heart catheterization” after complaining of chest tightness and missed that postseason. In July 2024, he was hospitalized after experiencing “some concerning symptoms,” then underwent a procedure to have two stents inserted into his heart two days later.
Then, this past January, Self was taken to the hospital out of an “abundance of caution” due to being under the weather, the school said at the time. Despite that hospital visit, Self said Sunday that, while not completely healthy, he feels “as good as I’ve felt in a long time.”
“I’m not making any statements whatsoever,” said Self, who is 634-167 since taking over at Kansas in 2003, winning two national championships. “When you get to be doing it as long as I’ve done it, I look at it in five-year increments. Now I’m probably looking at it in more two-year increments, so to speak. So I try to focus on this season and try to get us to a second weekend, which we failed at. So I’ll go back now and break it down and see where that leads.”
Against the Red Storm, the Jayhawks erased a 14-point deficit, then could only watch in shock when Dylan Darling ended their season by slipping through the defense for the winning layup at the buzzer.
“One of the things that makes [the tournament] so great is that it can be great, but it can also be cruel,” Self said. “I’m certainly disappointed, sad for our guys, because they tried so hard. But just a tough afternoon.”
Self’s teams at Kansas now have failed to make it past the second round of the NCAA tournament in four straight years.
While Self said he wished his fourth-seeded team had been more consistent during the season in order to earn a higher seed, he balked at the notion that the program needs to change its identity going forward.
“I actually believe that we need to do a really good job evaluating and recruiting,” Self said. “I just think in today’s time, the next four to six weeks will be indicative to the question that was asked earlier: ‘How can you improve yourself moving forward?’ The next four to six weeks will be the most important time to do that.”
St. John’s stuns Kansas at the buzzer to reach Sweet 16 (0:49)Dylan Darling’s first basket of the game is a layup as time expires to win it for St. John’s in dramatic fashion. (0:49)
Dylan Darling’s first basket of the game is a layup as time expires to win it for St. John’s in dramatic fashion. (0:49)
Self, 63, has dealt with several health-related issues in recent years.
Paolo UggettiMar 22, 2026, 09:40 PM ETMultiple Authors