AMES, Iowa — There have been years in the past when Bill Self felt a bit of invincibility with his teams.
The way he saw it, if his team played well on the road, it was going to win. And the chances were about 4 out of 5 that his team was going to play well.
“I don’t have that feeling with this team,” Self said. “I don’t know yet.”
The coach’s brutal honesty can be traced to a few factors.
For one, the Big 12 competition is tougher this year than any other. According to advanced numbers compiled by Ken Pomeroy, the league is trending to be the second-best conference in the last 15 seasons of college basketball.