Kansas head coach Bill Self gets a bear hug from Kansas forward Flory Bidunga (40) following the Jayhawks’ 82-78 win over Arizona, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas’ win over No. 1 Arizona on Monday night, its first ever against a top-ranked team in Allen Fieldhouse in a showdown Bill Self called “as big a game that college basketball has had” this year, was so momentous an occasion as to inspire some admittedly uncharacteristic behavior from the head coach.

His double fist pump before a roaring crowd of Jayhawks was a familiar sight, at least for those who have witnessed some of the biggest wins of his 23-year tenure.

Maybe a bit more surprising, though, was what he delivered a few moments later: hugs for sophomore forward Flory Bidunga and fifth-year senior guard Melvin Council Jr., who scored 23 points apiece to will KU to arguably its most significant victory since the 2022 national title game. Plus some additional applause for the crowd that had urged him and his players on all night.

“He was happy about it,” Bidunga said postgame. “That was strange, I was like, ‘You giving hugs now, coach?’ But I’ll take it, I’ll take a free hug.”

Self joked postgame that he was “just playing to the crowd.” Indeed, he also noted that the fans stuck around quite a bit longer than usual.

“I watched how (North) Carolina celebrated when they beat Duke,” Self said. “That was huge. I mean, it was a great win, and even though we won’t storm (the court), that stuff, but to me, in my world that was the equivalent of that, that we watched the other night.”

The crimson-and-blue faithful hadn’t even found their way to the exit minutes later as their joyous exclamations were audible from the Allen Fieldhouse media room in the moments leading up to the postgame press conference.

The reasoning Self shared during that press conference for his display of emotion followed an interesting line of thinking: He felt KU could play much better than it did on Monday night. Yes, better than in the victory over the previously unbeaten Wildcats.

“We’re better than what we played, when we get all our pieces,” he said. “To me, that’s exciting. Now whether or not that happens or not, I don’t know.”

The case that KU could have done much better on Monday is actually fairly straightforward. The Jayhawks gave up 45 points in the first half, many on shots that weren’t particularly well contested alarmingly close to the basket. They conceded 18 offensive rebounds on the night (although limited Arizona to 16 second-chance points). They somehow won despite making just five 3s in a game in which it certainly seemed like they would have needed quite a few more to overwhelm one of the best paint-offense teams in the country.

“The way it went down was grimy,” said Self, always a firm believer in the power of making opponents play poorly, as he reiterated on Monday. “The way it went down, we didn’t score but we can’t allow anybody else to score. And that’s how we won the game late, and that’s how we win.”

The most notable area for growth beyond Monday was the fact that KU didn’t have Darryn Peterson — a popular topic postgame, even as Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd urged reporters not to make it one. He is, of course, the piece the Jayhawks were missing.

Just as the star guard seemed to be moving past the recurring cramping issues that hampered him for much of the year, with 35 and 34 minutes in KU’s prior two wins, he had to sit out on Monday night due to flu-like symptoms. Self said he only found out within an hour of tipoff after Peterson had taken part in shootaround — although he had apparently been considered “50-50” the prior day.

So, yes, KU can be far better than it was on Monday as soon it gets the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft back in its lineup, especially if the likes of Jamari McDowell and Bryson Tiller can persist with the increased levels of aggression they displayed in his absence.

“You know, I’ve said this all along, a lot of teams this time of year, when you get to early February, they know where their ceiling is and the great teams are operating pretty close to their ceiling,” Self said. “I don’t know where our ceiling is. I know that we’re not close to it yet, though. I think that we got another big step that we can take, and it’s exciting to know that I believe our best ball can still be well ahead of us.”

Whether KU will reach another level, beyond that of its still-rolling eight-game winning streak, remains to be seen. Echoing remarks from prior to the showdown with Arizona, Self said it would be a disappointment if the Jayhawks don’t play bigger games than Monday’s.

That sets a high bar for the weeks and months ahead.

Kansas guard Melvin Council Jr. (14) jumps up to slap hands with the Kansas student section following the Jayhawks’ 82-78 win over Arizona, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas head coach Bill Self raises his fists before the crowd following the Jayhawks’ 82-78 win over Arizona, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas forward Flory Bidunga (40) gives a bear hug to Kansas head coach Bill Self following the Jayhawks’ win over undefeated Arizona, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas guard Jamari McDowell (11) and Kansas forward Bryson Tiller (15) celebrate mid-air following the Jayhawks’ 82-78 win over Arizona, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug