Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self already ranks 18th on the NCAA’s official all-time Division 1 wins list. He has 763 career victories over his 29-year career (556 in 19 seasons with the Jayhawks). Only Jim Boeheim, Bob Huggins, Cliff Ellis and John Calipari are currently ahead of Self in wins among active coaches (though unofficially Rick Pitino is as well).
While it will take years for him to reach the top of the list, as he sits 235 official wins behind the active leader Boeheim and 439 wins behind all-time leader Mike Krzyzewski, Self still has an excellent chance to move up several spots this season.
And Kansas sportsbooks will be operational in plenty of time for fans to wager on every Jayhawks game as Self continues his quest.
After studying the NCAA record book, BetKansas.com analyzed the strength of this season’s schedule and the quality of the Jayhawks roster compared to their opponents using available metrics and preseason rankings to determine hypothetical odds for Self’s position on the list at the end of the season.
Bill Self All-Time Coaching List Odds For 2022-23
Sports Betting in Kansas Coming Within Weeks
Real odds on individual Kansas basketball games and other props will be available in the state because Kansas is launching sports betting on Sept. 1.
Since he took the job in Lawrence in 2003, Self’s teams have won an average of 29.3 games per year and he has not coached a team that has won fewer than 20 games since the 1997-98 season, his first at Tulsa. Despite a challenging schedule that includes eight non-conference games against high major opponents (three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis, plus Duke, Kentucky, Indiana, Seton Hall and Missouri), this year’s edition of the Jayhawks should have little trouble continuing this tradition of excellence.
Though only two starters return from last season’s national championship squad, Kansas is once again expected to be one of the Big 12’s best and a top-10 team nationally.
In any event, KU hoops is sure to be a popular choice at Kansas sports betting apps when the state’s legal, regulated sportsbooks launch in September.
Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Scenarios
If the Jayhawks win at least 24 games this season, Self would pass Lefty Driesell for 14th on the all-time list. However, there is a catch. Calipari currently sits in 17th place with 768 official wins (he would rank 12th if not for 42 vacated wins) and Kentucky looks to have a comparable, if not better, team than Kansas this season. Calipari’s Kentucky teams have averaged 28.1 wins per season, so there is a good chance Kansas does not win six more games than the Wildcats this season, which is what it would take for Self to pass him.
Both men are currently looking at Lou Henson’s 779 career wins as their first target, with Lute Olson up next at 781. While 19 wins might seem like a lot to guarantee with those odds, the last time Kansas failed to win that many games was 1982-83. History suggests there is a small chance Self gets stuck between Olson and Driesell as Kansas only won 21 games in its down year two seasons ago, but by far the likeliest outcome is Self passing Driesell while Calipari does as well, leaving the Kansas coach in 15th place.
If Self were to pass Calipari, too, he could end the year no higher than 14th as he is 43 wins away from passing 13th place Rick Byrd and the season is 41 games maximum.
Check back with BetKansas.com for the top Kansas betting promos throughout the season.
