Kansas coach Bill Self to miss Thursday game due to illness

Kansas opens the Big 12 tournament on Thursday in Kansas City without coach Bill Self.

The university said in a statement Self, 60, will miss the game as he recovers from an unspecified illness.

"Assistant coach Norm Roberts will serve as the acting head coach. Self is doing well and receiving great care at the University of Kansas Health System," the statement continued.

Kansas (25-6) enters the 2023 Big 12 Championship as the No. 1 seed and faces No. 8 seed West Virginia (19-13) on Thursday afternoon.The Jayhawks, who are ranked third in the AP Top 25 poll, won the Big 12 regular-season title with a 13-5 conference record.

Roberts ran the show from the sideline to begin the season in November with Self serving a four-game suspension.

The Jayhawks went 4-0, including a neutral court win over Duke in Indianapolis.