A year ago, Kansas handed Bill Self a lifetime contract that has made him the highest-paid coach in college basketball.

On Monday, he justified the deal by orchestrating the biggest halftime comeback in NCAA championship game history. The Jayhawks roared back from a 15-point deficit to defeat North Carolina 72-69 for the program’s fourth national title.

The 49-year-old’s second-half adjustments — a stifling defensive scheme that opened up the offense for a 31-10 run — gave ample proof why Kansas will pay him $10.2 million this season alone.  

• The five-year agreement automatically adds an extra year after each season.
• Self is guaranteed $5.41M per season with a base salary of $225,000, $2.8M in professional services, and an annual retention bonus of $2.44M. 
• He vested $4.5M of deferred retention pay.

The Jayhawks’ long-term commitment to Self hasn’t resulted in too many trophies, however. His 13-season gap between his first title (2008) and Monday’s triumph is the second-longest drought for a head coach (Rick Pitino, 1996-2013).

Meanwhile, Self and Kansas might encounter a legal obstacle to any ambitions for back-to-back titles: The program is facing possible punishment from the NCAA for recruiting infractions.

But Kansas is still tied with Gonzaga and Kentucky with the third-best odds (+1200) to win it all in 2023 behind Duke (+750) and North Carolina (+1000).

When Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez took over as manager on Nov. 6, the club sat in ninth place in La Liga and were about to miss the Champions League knockout stage for the first time since 2004.

The inexperienced coach has managed to flip Barca from crisis mode to contenders. Xavi’s squad are in second place and unbeaten in their last 13 matches across all competitions — including a 4-0 El Clasico rout of leaders Real Madrid.

Now, even disgruntled winger Ousmane Dembele — a $154 million transfer who wanted out before the resurgence — is reportedly eyeing an extension. And he’s not the only player thriving as Barca make the most of their precarious finances.

• Demebele has a goal and seven assists in his last seven matches; his 10 assists are second in La Liga to Karim Benzema (11).
• Free transfer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has nine goals and an assist in his last nine matches.
• Pedri — the reigning Kopa Trophy winner for best young player — scored the decisive goal in the 1-0 win over Sevilla that put Barca in second.

After a tumultuous offseason that saw the debt-ridden Catalan giants lose Lionel Messi, Barcelona is once again one of the most attractive places to play in the world.

It’s probably too late to challenge Real for La Liga, but there’s still a possibility for silverware: Barcelona are the favorites (+140) to win Europa League.

Xavi’s men take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Kevin Love has remained loyal to the Cavaliers during a rebuild which has evolved much quicker than expected, putting them in contention for a postseason spot. Off the court, he has contributed significantly to the discussion around mental health — and credits his dog Vestry as a source of empathy and support for him and his family. Love recently teamed up with Milk-Bone to improve the diet of his (and man’s) best friend.

Below is an excerpt from our conversation:

You were part of a championship Cavs team that suddenly swerved into a rebuild. Did you ever expect things to turn around this quickly?

We had, what, 22 wins last year? People thought we’d be outside the playoff hunt, but we’ve made major steps. Our front office put guys in the right place to succeed: drafting Evan Mobley, trading for Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland taking that next step. We’ve established something special here. We want to continue to build and hopefully get past the play-in game.

You’ve led the charge to remove the stigma around discussing mental health, specifically in sports. How do you keep the conversation going?

I think that’s it right there — the willingness to talk to others like it’s OK to share, to not live in the shadows. I always say, you can’t heal what you don’t reveal. You think about the pandemic and all that came with it — we shouldn’t hold back compassion and empathy during a time like this.

When you look at the situation with Ben Simmons — people are saying he’s “faking it.” What would you say to those people? 

It’s hard to argue feelings. I think a lot of people like to throw shade at a safe distance. I learned from the late, great Flip Saunders that everybody has a part to play. There’s a lot to unpack there with Ben, but knowing him and being a friend, I think mentally and with his back physically, he’s getting better. I really hope Ben returns to play and plays well.

Your dog Vestry is clearly an important part of your life. Does she travel, watch the games?

I never thought I’d be that guy who’s always taking photos of his dog, bringing his dog everywhere, but Vestry has turned me into the dog dad that I never thought I’d be — and I’m so happy that I am. She’s really amazing and such a big part of our family. The guys, whether they come over here to watch games or I bring her to practice, they all love it.

Read the full interview here.

— Anthony Puccio