photo by: Associated Press

Kansas head coach Bill Self talks with one of his players during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against TCU, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, in Fort Worth, Texas. Kansas won 60-46. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)

Long after leaving Kansas following his senior season, former KU point guard Devonte’ Graham is still finding a way to rack up assists for the Jayhawks.

And his most recent dime went to his former head coach.

A week or so after Graham went viral by watching clips of past KU games and providing commentary on his shots, thoughts and the action in the video, Kansas coach Bill Self did the same thing.

Sort of.

“If you’re a little bored, as I am right now, (and) you’re looking for things to do, this is something we came up with (and we’ll be) watching some old game footage,” Self said in the opening seconds of Episode 1.

So look for more games and episodes in the future, with video breakdowns replacing Self’s live tweets from last weekend when CBS re-aired the 2008 national title game victory over Memphis.

Self’s setup — dubbed by KU as “Self Perspective” — is a little more formal and a lot less funny than Graham’s, but it still provides the same kind of insight and in-the-heart-of-the-action feel that Graham’s Instagram performance did.

Set up in the theater room at his house, Self walks Kansas fans through a 30-minute reflection on the Jayhawks’ 85-81, overtime win over Duke in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

Complete with pauses, rewinds and watch-for-this moments, Self invites the viewer to get a small taste of what it’s like to watch film with the Jayhawks.

Granted there is no scouting report or game prep involved here, but Self does provide enough X’s and O’s to make you feel like there is.

It might not fully replace the Elite Eight games we could be watching right now, but it’s basketball. And it’s better than nothing.

Beyond that, it’s a pretty cool look behind the curtain at the way Self and the Jayhawks operate and how the action unfolds out on the floor.

Introducing

KU-Gonzaga on tap?

According to a report from Zags beat writer Jim Meehan of The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., Gonzaga and Kansas are close to finalizing a deal for a future home-and-home series.

Meehan reported that the series is expected to begin in December 2022 at Allen Fieldhouse and would continue the following December at Gonzaga’s McCarthey Athletic Center.

A source close to the KU program told the Journal-World on Sunday that the two schools had been discussing a series but that nothing had been finalized.

KU leads the all-time series with Gonzaga, 1-0. The lone meeting between the two perennial contenders came on Nov. 13, 1998, when the Jayhawks knocked off the Zags, 80-66, at Allen Fieldhouse. Gonzaga led that game at halftime and went on to reach the Elite Eight later that season.

KU and Gonzaga finished the 2019-20 rankings at the top of most major polls, with Kansas at No. 1 and Gonzaga at No. 2 in the final Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls. Gonzaga wound up on top in the NET rankings, with KU just behind at No. 2.

Around the Big 12

Kansas State guard Cartier Diarra announced late last week that he had entered the transfer portal and would not return to K-State for his senior season.

The 6-foot-4 guard from Florence, S.C., started 58 of the 95 games he appeared in during his three seasons in Manhattan. In his announcement about entering the portal, Diarra said he was seeking a fresh start.

Meanwhile, Texas coach Shaka Smart is not going anywhere. UT officials late last week announced that Smart would return to Austin for his sixth season leading the Longhorns.

“Shaka’s our coach,” Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte told the Austin American-Statesman. “Nothing’s changed. We won five of the last six down the stretch, finished third in the conference. We have a good team coming back. Nothing’s changed on my end.”

Smart is 90-78 (40-50 in Big 12 games) during his time at Texas. That includes a 19-12 (9-9) record during the 2019-20 season.

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