How talented is Wichita State? KU’s Bill Self assesses ahead of Saturday’s game.

Despite averaging a near triple double in 1981 — his senior year at Edmond (Oklahoma) Memorial High School — Bill Self did not attract any attention from northern neighbor Wichita State University during the men’s basketball recruiting process.

“They had better players than me back when I was in high school. I did not (hear from Shockers coach Gene Smithson),” Self, Kansas’ 21st-year coach, said Thursday at a news conference held in advance of Saturday’s KU-WSU game. Tipoff is 3 p.m. at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City with a live broadcast on ESPN2.

“I can barely remember what I ate yesterday much less those things,” added Self, who went on to play four years at Oklahoma State after putting up 22.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game for the Bulldogs and being named Oklahoma’s Big School Player of the Year.

The Shockers of today, who take an 8-4 record into the nonconference clash against the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks (11-1), have much in common with WSU teams of the early 1980s, Self says.

That is, a number of talented players.

“Wichita State’s bigs are good. They’ve got an athletic group,” Self said of 6-10 Kenny Pohto and 6-11 Quincy Ballard, starters who average 12.0 and 7.1 points per game respectively. Ballard, who pulls down 6.9 rebounds per contest, has 28 blocked shots, with 15 in the last six games. Pohto averages 8.0 rebounds per outing.

“They can make shots. They can run to the rim. They block shots, finish above the rim. In a lot of ways their starting center reminds me of Doke, just from catching it and dunking it or blocking it,” Self added, comparing Syracuse, New York, junior Ballard to former KU big man Udoka Azubuike, who is now with the Phoenix Suns of the NBA.

Self also pointed out WSU has explosive scorers at guard in Colby Rogers (16.8 ppg), Xavier Bell (14.7 ppg), Harlond Beverly (10.3 ppg) and Ronnie DeGray, the former Missouri Tiger recently deemed eligible to play.

“It’s going to be two guards averaging 31 (ppg). … You’d think it could be a good matchup for Juan (Harris) and Kevin (McCullar), although I’m not sure how we’ll do it,” Self said. “It’ll be good matchups, bigs versus bigs, but (also) our guards versus four guards that are all pretty good.”

McCullar and Harris are known as exceptional defenders. Self is hoping for continued improvement in that area from freshman guard Elmarko Jackson.

“I do think he’s gotten better defensively. We’ve talked about that. I think he has,” Self said of Jackson, a 6-3 McDonald’s All-American. “I think he’s played better. I didn’t think (his performance against) Yale was as good as it was at Indiana. He is going to continue to get better. Nick (Timberlake, guard) will, too, and Johnny (Furphy, guard) will as well.

“First semester I guess is officially over. It’s time for those guys to start delivering at a different level than we were earlier. Certainly Elmarko should be the head of that (group) in doing that.”

WSU, which has played and lost to both Missouri (82-72 in Columbia) and Kansas State (69-60 at T-Mobile) this season, has cashed 78 of 246 3-pointers for 31.7%. Rogers has shot 35-of-83 for 42.2%, while Bell is 10-for-30 for 33.3%.

WSU’s foes are 98-of-329 from 3 for 29.8%. KU has cashed 81 of 211 3-pointers for 38.4%. KU’s foes have made 96 of 311 3s for 30.9%.

“They are 31% for the year but are better than that,” Self said. “We are shooting a higher percentage and have probably not shot it as well as our percentage. They are shooting a lower percentage, but the volume is much higher. They are probably better shooters than what they’ve shot it.”

Of Jackson’s defense, senior center Hunter Dickinson said: “I think Elmarko has been playing really solid the last couple games. Defensively he’s starting to realize that is what he can lay his hat on … defensively, being solid, not having to do too much, just being able to stay in front of your man.

“Defensive positioning was big for him (to learn). The high school game and college game Is so different defensively. You can get away with hugging your man or being late to a closeout in high school. In college, teams can really make you pay. The speed of the game … a switch in high school is very different from a switch in college. ... Him learning the game and the pace of the game and getting comfortable with that has helped him.”

This game is KU’s final game of the 2023-24 nonconference season. KU will meet TCU at 1 p.m. a week from Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse. WSU will meet North Texas at 8 p.m. on Jan. 4 in Wichita.