Bill Self says Jayhawks are playing 'way too slow'

With his team set to hit the court on Monday night against San Jose State, Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self told Gary Bedore of KUSports.com over the weekend that his players still need to drastically improve their offensive tempo going forward.

Although they currently average nearly the same amount of adjusted possessions per game as last year's squad, the 2012-13 Jayhawks are still not pushing the ball where it needs to be quickly and consistently enough according to the veteran coach.

"I think we play way too slow," Self said. "I don’t think our guards are creating near the pace the game needs to be played at. It’s amazing to me. I tell these guys all the time, ‘Everybody wants to go to a place where they play fast, they get there, and they don’t want to commit to playing fast.’ It takes energy to play fast."

Starter Elijah Johnson has struggled to make the transition to point guard on a full-time basis following the graduation of Tyshawn Taylor, and it's clear that the senior is still not quite fully comfortable running the offense at full speed. With a stable of big men like Perry Ellis and Kevin Young who are capable of getting out on the floor in transition and wreaking havoc, the Jayhawks may often find themselves in a position where playing an up-tempo game is the recipe for success this season.