What HC Bill Self Said After Kansas’ 71-59 Win Over Utah

No. 11 Kansas earned a 71-59 home victory over Utah on Saturday, pushing its winning streak to seven games. Flory Bidunga headlined the contest with a career-high seven blocks, helping the Jayhawks take control with a strong second half. It was another crucial conference win for the Jayhawks, which continue to boast one of the nation's top defenses.

Following the game, head coach Bill Self met with the media to discuss the win, the team's recent stretch of success, and several individual performances. Here are some of the most notable things Self had to say after the victory:

On how Bidunga and the rest of the team performed:

"I thought Flory was our best player by far. What'd he have? 17 and 10 and seven and three assists? So yeah, he was good, but other than that, I just thought we were average at best. Not the same energy, not the attention to detail. We shot it miserably from beyond the arc. Defense wasn't bad. They screwed us up on I think four slips, they got eight points off of, but for the most part, defense wasn't bad. I thought Bryson and Flory both did a good job when they were switched on the guards. But it wasn't a great effort by any means, but we got through it. Now, we'll focus on Monday, which the guys, I think, were focused on Monday this past Tuesday. But we got through it, and I'm happy about that, but we didn't play very well."

On Bidunga's improvement and bigger role:

"I don't know, I think, my opinion, the BYU game was great for us, because it gave Flory a chance to guard a guy that's on the national stage, and then they're either going to talk about him or they're going to talk about Flory. And I think there was numerous opportunities where he made himself look good by doing that. It's kind of energized him a little bit, and then he was the same way at Tech, and then he was the same way tonight."

On Melvin Council Jr.'s return from injury and toughness:

"Well, he got six stitches under his chin, so is that toughness, or is that you have to get it stitched up? So, I love him. I think the best thing he did when he came back in, he scored, and then immediately forced a turnover too when we were just duds out there. We need him for his energy. So yeah, he's a good competitor, no doubt."

On what stands out about KU's next opponent, Arizona:

"Monday is the most fun game that we would've had so far this year, and hopefully, there's much bigger games later on than this game. But to date, it'll be the biggest. They're men. They dominate people 12 feet and in. We got to play bigger. We got to play tougher. We got to play stronger. We got to play smarter. And then, they guard, so we got to give them something to defend on the other end, but it'll be a fun game. It'll be a fun atmosphere. Only one day to prep, but hopefully we can figure something out to at least slow them down."

On Darryn Peterson's performance today and earlier this week:

"I didn't think he had a good week. I thought he was unbelievable against BYU for a half. And Texas Tech, he got through it. Today, he got through it. But there wasn't much pop or energy like there needs to be, so he's got to be a lot better. We all do."

On whether the team has prepared for Arizona yet:

"We practiced for Arizona this past Wednesday, but it wasn't, you know, serious, serious stuff. But it was how we're going to guard the post, how you're going to guard ball screens, different things, but we'll have something in plac, obviously, by the time we work out tomorrow. But we'll practice 30 minutes tomorrow and let it roll on Monday."

On if the team's lack of effort could be attributed to looking toward the next opponent:

"I don't think there were signs. Ithink our energy level this past week wasn't what it needs to be. So that could be part of it. But you hear this expression all the time, trap game, or whatever, and mature teams don't have trap games. It's human nature in some ways, but mature teams enjoy playing every day. And what a day to play. Saturday, sun through the windows. It was a perfect day to play. We got to be more mature and handle those situations better."

On Darryn Peterson's cramps and whether they have persisted:

"No, no. He's not having them. So, I don't see ... I haven't been told anything that he's had anything the last two games."