If Bill Self doesn’t win a national title in his fifth year on the job here, as Larry Brown did in 1988, don’t consider him an underachiever. Lots of college basketball’s greatest coaches have had much longer waits, including three illustrious tutors with Kansas roots.

Granted, Self this year has easily the best chance in his life to rule the Final Four – not just get there, but win. If he can’t cut a hunk of net in San Antonio, it might be a while before he again has the potential that exists in 2008. It all depends on which Kansas team shows up starting tonight in Detroit – the drifting, hesitant, uncertain crew we saw falter at Kansas State, Texas and Oklahoma State, or the outfit that played like a national champion whipping Texas in Kansas City, Mo.

Self, for all his skills and perceptions, has no more of a clue than one of us how his talented bunch will respond in the last four games, if there are such. This is an outfit that is tough to read, even though it has shown signs of Final Four Fever since the Texas thriller. If sparkplug Sherron Collins is not at or near his best, the others can flounder.

But Self in his 15th year as a head coach deserves better than just to reach the Final Four. He’ll get it if his players care enough to send their very best. The Jayhawks can’t afford one more bad half and better think about hitting 70 percent of their free throws or we’ll be playing Ray Charles’ “Cryin’ Time.”

Back to long waits by most coaches for national titles. Larry Brown was in his 16th year as a head man in ’88. Roy Williams was skunked 15 times at Kansas, then won his second year at North Carolina with four stars the fired Matt Doherty left him.

Those three Kansas guys? Phog Allen was in his 35th season here when his 1952 team produced NCAA and Olympic titles. Adolph Rupp was a scrub under Phog and took over as Kentucky coach for 1930-31. He was 17 years in winning it all in 1948 and 1949, then lopped off two more crowns before retiring after 1971-72. However, Phog and Adolph had no NCAA Tourneys to work with until ’39.

The other KU late-bloomer? Dean Smith was in his 21st year at North Carolina when Michael Jordan’s jumper nailed his first crown in 1982. Bob Knight won No. 1 in his fifth season at Indiana, but trained six years at Army.

Others of note: Hank Iba, two earlier jobs, then 11 years at Oklahoma State, two titles; Mike Krzyzewski, five years at Army, 11 at Duke up to the ’91 victory over Kansas; Lute Olson, 24 years as head coach at Long Beach, Iowa and Arizona to get his ’97 title.

Bill Self’s looking better all the time, huh?

Branch McCracken at 31 was the youngest championship coach in NCAA history in leading Indiana past KU in 1940, then he broke KU hearts again in 1953.

The only genuine instant winner was rookie Ed Jucker at Cincinnati in 1961 and 1962. Assistant Steve Fisher was elevated when Bill Frieder was fired by Michigan for taking the Arizona State job before the tourney. Fisher with a 6-0 won in ’89; never with his Fab Five.

St. John Wooden, two years at Indiana State and 16 at UCLA before starting that 10-out-of-12 run in Kansas City in 1964.