Bill Self provides major injury update about Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. ahead of BYU game
Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self provided an update on the status of injured guard Kevin McCullar Jr. Signs are pointing to the possibility that the player could miss more games, which is bad for the Jayhawks moving forward.
Self disclosed on a radio pre-game interview before Kansas' game against Texas Longhorns, which they won 86-67, that the senior guard has a "bone bruise on his knee." McCullar tried to play through it during practices but the pain was worse than thought.
KC Star's Gary Bedore quoted the veteran coach as saying that the pain is so bad that whenever he gets hit or performs certain movements, it severely restricts McCullar's movement.
"Whenever he gets hit or there's certain movement it hurts to the point he can't operate."
Bill Self remains optimistic McCullar would be 100% ready for the NCAA Tournament but current signs point otherwise for Kansas.
What Bill Self misses with McCullar's absence
When healthy, the 6-foot-7 cager is one of the major contributors to the Jayhawks. In 23 games, McCullar is averaging 19.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
The guard is the Jayhawks' leading scorer and his All-Big 12-caliber defense has brought nightmares to his rivals.
McCullar's absence has unceremoniously promoted 7-foot-2 center Hunter Dickinson as the primary option in Kansas' offense. It also opened more doors for other talents to shine under Bill Self.
The Jayhawks coach has inserted Nicolas Timberlake as the starting guard in place of McCullar. He played efficient ball against Baylor and Texas Tech, finishing with eight and 13 points, respectively.
However, Timberlake's numbers were still not enough to fill in for McCullar, with Kansas missing a leader in crucial moments.
The Jayhawks (21-6, 9-5 in Big 12) are still two games off the Big 12 conference lead with four games remaining on their schedule. Kansas is still in contention for the regular season conference championship but the team is not in control of their destiny.
They need Houston and Iowa State to lose their matches and win their upcoming games to snatch the conference title away and get a favorable seeding in the tournament proper.
If healthy, McCullar will be an important piece for the team in the stretch run and the knockout stages of the 2023-24 tournament. Missing him would hurt the Bill Self-coached side's chances unless they manage to change their March Madness fortunes.
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