:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/ONBOPQJZUR26UVNPOENW2KSLAI.jpg "Coach Bill Self, recovering from a heart procedure, will miss Kansas’ NCAA Tournament second-round game against Arkansas")
DES MOINES, Iowa — Bill Self will miss Kansas’ NCAA Tournament second-round game against Arkansas on Saturday, the school announced.
Self, who is recovering from a heart procedure earlier this month, has been with his team since they arrived in Des Moines and attended meetings and practices.
Self declined to comment Friday as he walked past reporters after practice, but said in a radio interview before the Jayhawks’ first-round win over Howard that he’s feeling better and getting stronger, just he’s not ready to be benched for a game yet. .
Norm Roberts, Self’s longtime assistant, will serve as interim coach for a fifth game.
Self went to the ER on the night of March 8, shortly after watching the Jayhawks hold a final target practice before the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. He complained of chest tightness and balance problems, and the 60-year-old man had two stents placed to help treat blocked arteries.
Kansas is 3-1 in Self’s absence, with the loss to Texas in the Big 12 Tournament championship game.
Roberts, 57, is Self’s right-hand man and has been on Self’s staff for four training stops.
“We’ve been together for almost 25 years, so we probably finish each other’s sentences in terms of basketball,” Roberts said Friday.
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