It’s gut-check time for Bill Self and his Kansas University men’s basketball players.

“This is when you find out what you are made of, both as coaches and players,” Self, KU’s first-year head coach, said of the No. 21-ranked Jayhawks (15-6 overall, 7-3 Big 12 Conference), who have dropped two straight league road games — to Oklahoma State and Nebraska — by 20 and 19 points.

“I am certainly disappointed, but I don’t want to use the word frustrated. It is a long season and you can’t get frustrated every time something goes bad.”

Self said he met with the team Sunday night in a short meeting after a bus ride home from Lincoln, Neb.

He also indicated last week definitely was the toughest week he had had at Kansas, but not the toughest in his 11-year head-coaching career.

“I lost 18 in a row one time, but we were at Oral Roberts and weren’t coming off back-to-back Final Fours,” he said.

“One year at Illinois we were preseason No. 2 and started out 4-5 in the league. That was a tough stretch. We had some help and ended up tying for the league championship. We talked about that with our guys last night.”

In fact, in 2001-02, Illinois went 26-9 overall and 11-5 in the league, earning a Big Ten title and ultimately advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16.

“If we were a Top-25 team and 7-3 in our league and you have four of six left at home like we do, you might say we are not in great shape, but pretty good shape,” Self said. “The problem is we weren’t preseason Top 25. We were preseason (No.) 6.

“We are coming off the last two years and the expectations and now we start 7-3. Within our camp, we are feeling what could go worse? There is a lot that could be worse. A lot of NCAA teams out there are having worse seasons than Kansas. The bottom line is we have to put it together and have to put it together now.

“I think we can become a lot tougher. Our talent level is such we can play better. We can coach better. We have to play with a sense of urgency.”

Self was asked about his players.

“My relationship is fine with them,” he said. “I still like my sister even if we have a bad week at the house. That is irrelevant. If relationships are affected by poor performance you probably don’t have a relationship to begin with.”

The next test is Wednesday night versus Baylor. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse.

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How bad was it?: KU’s losses of 20 points to Oklahoma State and 19 to Nebraska were the Jayhawks’ worst back-to-back losses in modern history.

The last time KU lost consecutive 19-point games was in the 1918-19 season. That year, Missouri beat KU in consecutive games, both in Lawrence, by 20 and 22 points.

The last time KU lost consecutive road games by at least 19 points was in 1905-06. That was when KU fell by 23 at Chicago Central YMCA and 24 at Muscatine, Iowa, YMCA.

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Seeding surmising: The Jayhawks’ hopes of playing first and second round NCAA Tournament games in Kansas City’s Kemper Arena are fading with each loss.

“The only chance of going to Kansas City is being a top-four seed,” Self said. “Right now we are on the outside looking in of being a top-four seed. I would love to play all our postseason games in Kemper. If it happens, fantastic. If it doesn’t happen, it’s not like we are going to throw in the towel.

“Before the season it was never mentioned as a goal to be a top four seed to make sure we stay in Kansas City. Our goal is to get better and being as good as we can be.”

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Injury update: Self said junior forward Wayne Simien didn’t aggravate his groin problem Sunday at Nebraska. Instead, Simien was kneed in the hip.

“That was not a groin injury. That’s good news,” Self said. “It might be sore but you can work that out. I would anticipate everybody practicing tomorrow.”

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It’s a business: Self and the other Big 12 coaches Monday were asked about NCAA president Myles Brand saying college sports is not a business.

“College basketball is a game and much more of a game than professional sports,” Self said. “If it’s not a business, then why are coaches getting fired for performance? It is big business, and I think the NCAA has done a lot of things that have been driven by money, sponsorships and things like that. I don’t know if his point was to say college basketball is not a business and I don’t know what text it was taken from.

“College basketball is certainly a big business to a lot of people.”