Kansas, Georgia Tech meet again

LAWRENCE, Kan. - For a long time, Kansas coach Bill Self showed no interest in the film from the Jayhawks' final basketball game last season.

He wasn't irritated enough to discard the tape, though. He just didn't want to review the Jayhawks' loss to Georgia Tech in the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament.

"Very rarely do I ever watch the last game of the season," Self said. "If it ends in a win, I guarantee that I will, but I just thought it was better not watching it and putting ourselves through that again."

The 79-71 overtime defeat capped a 24-9 run for Self in his first season as Kansas coach and prevented the Jayhawks from reaching the Final Four for a third consecutive season.

Today, No. 2 Kansas (8-0) gets a rematch against No. 9 Georgia Tech (9-1) at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN) in Allen Fieldhouse.

When Self finally did break the Georgia Tech tape out of the archives this week, he treated it much like any other film study.

"I found myself making notes and saying the same things that I would if the game was played yesterday," he said. "I think I even got on Wayne (Simien) in one little clip that we showed the team - 'See Wayne, good gosh, you can't be doing that,' or whatever it is I said - and here he is, he's not even playing."

No, he's not, which creates a little more intrigue entering the showdown.

With Simien nursing a surgically repaired left thumb and expected to be out until at least mid-January, the Jayhawks present a different look - one that lacks a 6-foot-9 All-America candidate who averages 17.4 points and 12.0 rebounds.

Since suffering his injury on Dec. 18 against South Carolina, Simien has missed one game, and the Jayhawks struggled before putting away Wisconsin-Milwaukee 73-62.

Simien was one of four starters who returned for Kansas this season.

With Simien out, 6-10 C.J. Giles and 6-8 Darnell Jackson will help out against Georgia Tech 7-footer Luke Schenscher.