Last week, we wrote that free throws didn't matter as much in college basketball as fans like to think that they do. We would like to officially withdraw that statement. Heavens.

(Amazing photo via Getty Images)

Self finally got that stuffed rhino off his back with Kansas' stirring win, and, even as bitter Illini fans, we're happy for him. Besides, you know, now Bill James can keep his how-far-ahead-are-we? calculations for one more weekend.

We had forgotten that it had been a while since Kansas had made the Final Four. Kansas fans we're awfully happy about it.

We love the guy at the end. Somebody's got Self's back, that's for sure.

Just to continue our early-morning motif of embarassing photos of coaches and managers, we present this photo of Kansas coach Bill Self, splashing around with his troops in Hawaii before the tournament last week.

Note the hat. In such situations, when you're Bill Self and worried about water-based adhesives, it's probably important to keep the hat on, yes, just in case.

Why, yes, now that you mention it, this was sent to us from a "uiuc.edu" email address. Why do you ask?

Jayhawks In Hawaii [KUSports.com]
Tony LaRussa's Wife Cashes In Some Chips [Deadspin]

The Golden Eagles beat Kansas in Lawrence last night, and in a convincing fashion. Predictably, this has led to even more frustration from the Jayhawks faithful about Self, who has struggled transferring his outstanding recruiting classes into NCAA Tournament success, a similar problem to the one he had at Illinois, where he was nevertheless revered. Kansas has its own problems right now — by the way, don't tell us about the SI jinx; Kansas was on a regional cover, as were Connecticut, Wisconsin and UCLA — but we, as always, must focus on Oral Roberts.

As we've mentioned before, it's difficult not to be bewildered by a Division I basketball team at a school run by a man who once claimed God would kill him if he didn't raise $8 million. (He raised the money and survived. WHEW!) This was in the heyday of televangelists, in 1987, around the time of Jerry Falwell's Jimmy Swaggert's trembling lower lip and Jim Bakker climbing Mt. Hahn. God's intense interest in the matters of Oral and his parishioners, frankly, would make us rather nervous to play for the Golden Eagles; if they don't make the tournament this year, we're scared of what Jehovah is capable of.

Oral Roberts Shocks No. 3 KU [Kansas City Star]
They Must Draw 6,000 Fans, Or God Will Call Them Home [Deadspin]

Backup Jayhawks center C.J. Giles was booted from the team by Self yesterday after he was cited by campus police Monday night. Giles had just returned from a suspension for missing practices and having academic issues last week. How did he celebrate his reinstatement?

Let's quote from the police report: The 20-year-old woman told police Giles became angry with her when she wouldn't leave his apartment and he grabbed her by the ankles, dragged her off his bed and onto the floor. She told police he continued to drag her into the hallway as she tried to get away and then "struck her in the left side of her head by her ear" with his closed fist. She left the apartment and reported the incident to police at 11:30 p.m.

Giles admitted to police that he dragged the woman across the floor, according to the report, but he denied hitting her in the head. He was not taken into custody, but was given a notice to appear in municipal court Dec. 6 for battery.

We're not including there the reason Giles asked the woman to leave his apartment: Because "when he received a phone call from another woman, he told the woman in his apartment to leave, and when she asked why, he told her his girlfriend was on her way to his room."

You know what's terrible? However bad the incident went, we imagine it somehow being worse had the "girlfriend" actually made it up to the room.

Self kicked him off the team yesterday, so Giles should have plenty of time to sort this mess out.

Giles Gets Booted For Good [Lawrence Journal-World]

After Kansas' loss to Nevada last night, Jayhawks assistant coach Jim Dooley clearly told Wolf Pack star Nick Fezekas to do something to himself that involved the word "fuck." No one has discovered whether Fezekas did anything to inspire this anger, but ESPN caught it on camera and now everyone's apologizing.

For the sake of discussion:

Bill Self. Kansas. 2-3. Has his coaches cursing out teams that beat him.
Bruce Weber. Illinois: 6-0. Breaks his ankle working on his own lawn.

Kansas Statement On Incident [KU Athletics]

(Update: Hey, who wants some video?)

That said, there's quite a little battle brewing between Bruce Weber and Illinois and Kansas (and former Illini) coach Bill Self. As documented by the great Illini Wonk, Self swooped up prized recruit Sherrod Collins after almost everyone projected him as going to Illinois, and the move was so sudden and so opposite of what Collins had claimed to want, some people are wondering if there isn't some nefariousness going on. This led to one of our favorite quotes from a high school coach in a long time, from Collins' Chicago high school coach Anthony Longstreet, about Decatur Herald-Review reporter Mark Tupper, one of the first people to float the rumor: "What exactly does Mark Tupper know about relationships? I m telling you, it s like falling in love. Is Mark Tupper an expert on analyzing love and human relationships? If so, tell him I d like to see his credentials." Having once covered Illinois basketball with Tupper in the late '90s, we can tell you: Mark Tupper KNOWS love and human relationships.

Worth noting: We're Illinois alums, so our view on the matter is that, regardless of any "facts," everything Bill Self does is wrong and everything Bruce Weber does is right, because he wears orange sports jackets and talks like a duck.

Blogosphere Heats Up Over Collins [Illini Wonk]

(By the way, one of our favorite tricks to play on our dad during last year's NCAA tournament was to send him to BruceWeber.com, the official site not of the Illinois coach, but of photographer Bruce Weber, "featuring the beauty of youth in male nude photography." Very fun. Dad loved it.)