The world in which Bill Self and Chris Beard operate is one of constant overreactions to single-game samples.
Both signed up for this. They make millions of dollars while understanding that a silly tournament at the end of the season means more than the first four months. They are part of a college basketball universe where every loss is often interpreted as a character flaw instead of sometimes what it is: a weird, fluky result.
“We played about as well as you could possibly play,” Beard said after his team’s 91-62 victory over KU on Saturday.