MINNEAPOLIS -- Bill Self waxed some basketball philosophy Thursday.
"They say the longer you play the game, the slower the game becomes," the Kansas men's basketball coach said during an NCAA tournament press conference in the Metrodome. "And I think North Dakota State is a prime example of that."
Self, who has a 167-39 record with one national championship during his six years at Kansas, was referring to the experience his team will face today when it plays NDSU in an NCAA tournament opening-round game.
Already documented nationwide, the Bison enter their first NCAA tournament with four fifth-year seniors in Ben Woodside, Brett Winkelman, Mike Nelson and Lucas Moormann.
That group will go against the defending national champions -- but a team with only one senior in the lineup and the bulk of its scoring coming from two juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen.
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Historically in this tournament when a mid-major team like NDSU upsets a high-major like Kansas, it is a senior-dominated lineup that can cause problems for a more talented, but younger team.
"I think there's more pressure on the bigger school," Woodside said. "I don't think there is much pressure on us at all."
"The top seed is expected to win, we're not," Winkelman said.
"As far as pressure goes, no, that's long gone," said NDSU head coach Saul Phillips. "But, there is zero chance that a team coached as well as Kansas is going to overlook us in any way, it's just not happening. We're going to have to play very, very well."
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