CHICAGO -- Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self turns 60 later this year, although he'd rather not be reminded.
"Fifty is a tough age," he said with a smile Thursday, as Kansas practiced at the United Center in advance of Friday's NCAA tournament Sweet 16 matchup against the Providence Friars.
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If the top-seeded Jayhawks beat Providence on Friday night, Self will revel in the team's first Elite Eight appearance since a Final Four run in 2018. But there will be limits to his celebration.
Self saw clips of Houston's celebration following the Cougars' second-round win Sunday over Illinois in Pittsburgh. Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson, who turned 66 in October, ripped off his shirt in the locker room and was doused in water by his players. Sampson is enjoying the most successful stretch of his career, guiding Houston to a Final Four last year and three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. Houston, a No. 5 seed, faces the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats Thursday in San Antonio.
.@UHouston fans: "What a #MarchMadness win... Now, we've seen it all."@CoachSampsonUH: "Hold my water."#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/SzQ2tUDfUK
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) March 20, 2022
"I'm happy for Kelvin, that he felt comfortable enough in his own skin to do that," said Self, who faced Sampson when he coached at Oklahoma.
Just don't expect the same if Kansas wins Friday.
"I have family and friends that I would like to continue to speak to me throughout the remainder of my life," Self said. "I would not do it [because] I would lose that relationship due to the embarrassment I would cause them. So that will not happen here."
Self should be taken at his word. When Kansas celebrated its Elite Eight win in 2018, Self took the locker room bath with his shirt and tie still on.
"His energy is great," Kansas guard Christian Braun said of Self. "A lot of times, he's in a good mood because we're winning. He told us the second weekend is when you really get to experience what March Madness is all about. So he's excited to get here."