SAN DIEGO
The Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team’s charter bus transited from San Diego International Airport with a police escort to the Omni Hotel at the Ballpark in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter at about 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Temperatures were in the mid- to high-80s, not a cloud in the sky. KU coach Bill Self hustled into an elevator, checked into his hotel room — located a stone’s throw from Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres — and grabbed a quick snack at an outdoor restaurant by the hotel pool.
Then he scurried back to the hotel lobby to discuss the Jayhawks’ latest NCAA Tournament appearance with about a dozen reporters.
“This is an impressive place,” Self said of San Diego. “There’s not any place probably that you can say is nicer. And there may be some that rival it, but we couldn’t be happier than where we are at.”
Self’s Jayhawks practiced at 8 a.m. Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Self informing reporters there that all 16 KU players are healthy and available for Friday’s 8:45 p.m. (CT) tipoff against Cal Baptist in a round-of-64 game at Viejas Arena.
After practicing and eating lunch, Self and his players headed to California via a charter flight. Their travel itinerary showed a schedule that included “a nice dinner tonight, scouting report tonight, and then tomorrow will be a busy day.”
The Jayhawks were to practice at an unnamed location Thursday and then take part in a short shootaround at Viejas Arena from 4:15 p.m.-4:55 p.m. California time. The shootaround is free and open to the public.
“Something that was really good today, little things,” Self said. “It’s one thing to have a police escort. It’s another thing to have a motorcycle escort that brings you in when our guys have never seen that before — first time to a tournament, and then you get to this place, and you’re eating out there, open air over a pool, stuff like that gives the appearance of big-time.
“And so many venues are based on that feeling, based on where you’re at. Go to Chicago on St. Paddy’s Day and the (Chicago River) is green and stuff. It just feels different. And certainly this feels different than last year, there’s no question. So I think the guys will be excited.”
The Jayhawks a year ago lost to Arkansas in the first round of the tournament at Providence, Rhode Island.
“I think a lot of times the guys, and we do it as adults too, we think we know when we have no clue,” Self said. “We do it as adults: ‘This is how it’s got to be.’ The first time you walk the grounds at The Masters, you say, ‘How hilly could it really be? There’s no way (it’s that hilly).’ And then you go there and you are totally gassed. I think the NCAA Tournament is like that for the first time.”
Self continued talking about the tourney and KU’s assigned first- and second-round venue in Southern California: “Would we rather be in Oklahoma City or St Louis? I don’t know?” he said. “The biggest negative (in San Diego) is Cal Baptist is an hour away. And so the crowd will certainly, I would think, side with the underdog because they’re local.
“But that’s the way it is in a lot of places. We played in Minneapolis, Cole (Aldrich’s) whole town was there. That was great until we played North Dakota State and they had 20,000 people because we played in the dome. I don’t know that there’s a formula that works better than another.”
Self was referring to March 2009, when Minneapolis native Aldrich and the Jayhawks opened the 2009 tourney in Aldrich’s hometown. KU edged North Dakota State 84-74, then beat Dayton 60-43 in the second round at the Metrodome, advancing to the Sweet 16.
If No. 4 seed KU defeats No. 13 Cal Baptist on Friday, the Jayhawks would play either St. John’s or Northern Iowa on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16 a week from Friday in Washington, D.C.
San Diego is the third-longest trip Kansas has made in tournament play in the last 50 years. KU played in San Jose, California in 2007 and Eugene, Oregon in 1978.
This year’s NCAA Tournament marks the final college hoops go-round for Jayhawks freshman Darryn Peterson, who is completing his one-and-done college season before heading to this year’s NBA Draft.
Self was asked if Peterson could carry the Jayhawks to a national title, as Danny Manning did in 1988.
“Danny was a senior and had been through three other tournaments and been in the Final Four and done all that stuff,” Self said. “Darryn doesn’t have the same experience, obviously, Danny had. Is he ready to play his best ball this year? Absolutely.”
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 7:50 PM.
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Gary Bedore covers KU basketball for The Kansas City Star. He has written about the Jayhawks since 1978 — during the Ted Owens, Larry Brown, Roy Williams and Bill Self eras. He has won the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year award and KPA writing awards.