Kansas coach Bill Self hopes to avoid another Elite Eight exit in NCAA men's basketball tournament

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Bill Self knows that the Elite Eight has not been his best moment in his Hall of Fame career.

In his career, Self is 3-7 in the Elite Eight games.

Self knows the importance of improving his mark when his top-seeded Jayhawks face the 10th-seeded Hurricanes in the Elite Eight on Sunday. His struggles to advance past the regional finals have added perspective to the difficulty teams face.

It is the hardest game in the tournament to not win, Self said. You are playing for it all in the national championship finals. Every team's goal is to get to the Final Four. It is not the road to the national championship. It is the road to the Final Four.

The Jayhawks won the Midwest Region and advanced to the Final Four, where they lost to the national champion. In 2016 and 2017, the Jayhawks lost in the Elite Eight. They are looking for their first national title since 2008.

The Hurricanes are in the Elite Eight for the first time, but coach Jim Larranaga has only been to the Final Four once before.

The preparation for Elite Eight games is not harder than other games, but there are differences.

He said that they are at the mercy of CBS or television networks. Most of the time you would be able to practice more or do different things if you practiced for 30 minutes a day.

This time of year, fatigue mentally becomes a huge factor.

During its short practice Saturday at the United Center, Kansas hit four halfcourt shots in a row and played duck, duck, goose. The magnitude of what is ahead is understood by players.

This is the biggest stage I have been on as far as basketball goes. I don't think anything could match this.

In the previous two NCAA tournaments, Kansas was eliminated in the second round. The 2020 squad, which didn't get to compete for a national title after the NCAA tournament was canceled, was the best team in the country, according to Self.

He thinks that his current group can continue its run.

I want them to attack it and not think about it. I want them to play with gusto. That is the mindset.