Head coach Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks will have to navigate through the NCAA Tournament without star guard Kevin McCullar Jr.
Self announced on Tuesday that the senior will miss the entire tournament while he deals with a bone bruise to the knee.
“Kevin is not going to play. He said his knee pain has not subsided any and it’s too bad for him to be able to contribute,” Self told reporters on Tuesday.
A fifth-year senior, McCullar missed a handful of games during the regular season and Kansas’ loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament leading up to Thursday’ game against Samford to open the tournament for the No. 4 seed.
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Kevin McCullar Jr. stats (2023-24): 18.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 45% shooting
Being without their leading scorer is going to be a major blow for Kansas as the team looks to navigate through the Midwest Region and the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers.
With McCullar sidelined, the onus is going to fall on big man Hunter Dickinson to do his thing. He’s averaging 18.0 points and 10.8 rebounds on the season.
There is also a decent chance that former top recruit Elmarko Jackson will start in the backcourt with McCullar sidelined. He’s averaging just 4.2 points on 40% shooting this season.