Bill Self says Jayhawks’ full attention must be on Yale, not upcoming Christmas break

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self admits he’s looking forward to spending some precious time with family members during the Jayhawks’ upcoming 3 1/2-day Christmas vacation.

“I can’t wait to watch them fight over wrapping paper and toys on Christmas,” Self said of his three grandchildren. They’ll be part of Christmas with the Selfs Saturday through Tuesday afternoon.

First up, though, something taking precedence over pre-Christmas shopping is a nonconference basketball game against Yale of the Ivy League on Friday at Allen Fieldhouse.

Tipoff is 7 p.m. with a livestream available on Big 12 Now/ESPN+.

“We need to make sure we have a good week this week, play well and send them home happy,” Self said of his players. He was speaking on Monday’s Hawk Talk radio show. “It stinks to go home for Christmas on a bad note. We’ve had it both ways here. I know a good note is preferable.”

The Jayhawks, who will take a 10-1 record and No. 2 national ranking into the contest against Yale (7-5), have a 15-5 record in games played immediately before the start of the team’s Christmas break in the 21-year Self era.

KU is 8-0 in games played in Allen Fieldhouse, 1-0 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, but just 6-5 on the road in its games held right before the team’s Christmas vacation.

“We’ve had some of our greatest wins right before Christmas,” Self said, “and we also got beat by Villanova and (by) 25 at Temple back in the day with experienced guys. It’s usually the team that understands Christmas doesn’t start until the next morning that will play well.”

The Jayhawks have won three straight pre-Christmas break games, upending Harvard 68-54 last Dec. 22 and also defeating Stephen F. Austin 80-72 on Dec. 18, 2021, and West Virginia 79-65 on Dec. 22, 2020, all at Allen Fieldhouse.

Villanova defeated KU 56-55 on Dec. 21, 2019, in Philadelphia. That was a year after KU’s 80-76 pre-Christmas break loss to Arizona State on Dec. 22, 2018.

KU defeated Stanford 75-54 on Dec. 21, 2017, in Sacramento, California, and also took road games at UNLV (71-53) on Dec. 22, 2016, and San Diego State (70-57) on Dec. 22, 2015.

The Jayhawks suffered a 77-52 defeat at Temple on Dec. 22, 2014. KU also lost at Arizona (84-67) on Dec. 23, 2008, and at Nevada (75-61) on Dec. 21, 2003.

Pre-Christmas break wins in the Self era include road games at Ohio State (74-66, Dec. 22, 2013), at USC (63-47, Dec. 22, 2011), at Cal-Berkeley (78-63, Dec. 22, 2010) and home victories over Georgetown (86-64, Dec. 21, 2013), Cal-Berkeley (84-69, Dec. 22, 2009), Miami Ohio (78-54, Dec. 22, 2007), Boston College (84-66, Dec. 23, 2006), Northern Colorado (85-62, Dec. 22, 2005) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (73-62 in KC, Dec. 22, 2004).

“The thing about this game, along with other games, if you look across America you’ll see a lot of upsets this week because kids want to be somewhere other than where they are at and guys are leaving the next morning to get on a plane to go to their respective homes. It’s that way every year,” Self added.

Self said it’s been a different type of week for the players since a 75-71 win over Indiana on Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana.

“Everybody is gone (on campus),” he said. “There are no friends here. All the college kids are gone. These guys are hanging out in the dorm. We had our Christmas dinner last night (Sunday at McCarthy Hall) over there. That was a big event. We’re the only ones basically in town with player connections. The players have connection with the coaches’ families. That’s about it.”

Yale this season has dropped an 86-71 decision to Gonzaga and also lost to Weber State in overtime. Yale also fell to Rhode Island, Vermont and Fairfield, with three of the five losses coming by four points or fewer.

Yale has wins over Quinnipiac, Colby-Sawyer, Stony Brook, Vassar, Loyola Marymount, Colgate and Gardner-Webb.

“They led Gonzaga almost the entire first half when they played,” Self said of the 15-point loss in which the Zags led 47-42 at halftime. “James (Jones) is a tremendous coach,” Self added of the Bulldogs’ coach of 25 years.

Yale was picked to finish first in the Ivy League in the 2023-24 preseason media poll. Yale received 14 of the 16 first-place votes, runner-up Princeton the other two.

The Jayhawk players will fly to their homes or homes of friends Saturday, then return for practice the night of the 26th with KU’s holiday clinic for youths the 27th.

The Jayhawks will take on Wichita State at 3 p.m., Dec. 30, at T-Mobile Center.

KU is 19-1, by the way, in its game immediately following Christmas break in the Self era. The only loss was to Texas (84-59) on Jan. 2, 2021 at Allen Fieldhouse.

KU basketball results in games immediately preceding Christmas break:

Record (Bill Self era): 15-5

2022-23: 68-54, W, Harvard

2021-22: 80-72, W, Stephen F. Austin

2020-21: 79-65, W, West Virginia

2019-20: 56-55, L, at Villanova.

2018-19: 80-76, L, at Arizona State

2017-18: 75-54, W, vs. Stanford in Sacramento

2016-17: 71-53, W, at UNLV

2015-16: 70-57, W, at San Diego State

2014-15: 77-52, L, at Temple

2013-14: 86-64, W, Georgetown

2012-13: 74-66, W, at Ohio State

2011-12: 63-47, W, at USC

2010-11: 78-63, W, at Cal-Berkeley

2009-10: 84-69, W, Cal-Berkeley

2008-09: 84-67, L, at Arizona

2007-08: 78-54, W, Miami Ohio

2006-07: 84-66, W, Boston College

2005-06: 85-62, W, Northern Colorado

2004-05: 73-62, W, Wisconsin-Milwaukee at T-Mobile Center

2003-04: 75-61, L, at Nevada

KU basketball results in games immediately following Christmas break:

Record (Bill Self era): 19-1

2022-23: 69-67, W, Oklahoma State

2021-22 88-61, W, Nevada

2020-21: 84-59, L, Texas

2019-20: 90-84, OT, W, at Stanford

2018-19: 87-63, W, Eastern Michigan

2017-18: 92-86, W, at Texas

2016-17: 86-80, W, at TCU

2015-16: 78-53, W, UC Irvine

2014-15: 78-62, W, Kent State

2013-14: 93-83, W, Toledo

2012-13: 89-57, W, American

2011-12: 89-34, W, Howard

2010-11: 82-57, W, Texas Arlington

2009-10: 81-51, W, Belmont

2008-09: 79-43, W, Albany

2007-08: 86-53, W, Yale 86-53

2006-07: 63-43, W, Detroi

2005-06: 73-56, W, New Orleans

2004-05: 70-68, W, OT, Georgia Tech

2003-04: 78-46, W, Binghamton