Kansas HC Bill Self not sweating early season rankings drop

Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self knows that the college basketball season is a marathon, not a sprint. That's the kind of wisdom that comes with 30 years of coaching.

That's why Self isn't worrying about the Jayhawks checking in at No. 5 in the latest AP Poll. They started the season No. 1, so technically it's a four-spot fall. At 5-1 and boasting wins over No. 17 Kentucky and No. 7 Tennessee, Kansas can trace its fall in the polls to a 73-59 loss to No. 4 Marquette.

Again, Self isn't concerned.

“I could care less,” Self said (h/t On3). “I don’t know what rankings matter in November in college basketball. Now, football is different. In football, you lose two in September? You’re done. This is not like that at all.”

In fact, even with one loss, Self is happy about where his team is. Also, it's worth keeping in mind that the expectation for the Jayhawks isn't an undefeated season. The expectation is another championship, and playing good teams early on is one way to prepare for a championship run.

To that point, the early season wins and losses don't matter to Self. It's all about development.

"We’ve gone 2-1 in our big games so far. I don’t think that’s poor at all. I think we feel good about doing that.”

Kansas has another early test coming up on Dec. 1, as the Jayhawks will play host to No. 4 UConn in a Big East-Big 12 battle.