Is Hunter Dickinson playing today vs Oklahoma? Looking at Kansas center’s availability against the Sooners

Hunter Dickinson has emerged as a formidable force for the No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks will lock horns against the No. 25 Oklahoma Sooners in a marquee away clash scheduled for Saturday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

All eyes are on Dickinson's status for the Jayhawks' upcoming Big 12 clash. Let's assess the likelihood of the center suiting up against the Sooners.

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Is Hunter Dickinson playing today vs Oklahoma?

Yes, Hunter Dickinson will play against the Sooners, as he avoided the Jayhawks' injury report.

The big man will look to bounce back after a dismal shooting performance in Kansas' recent 50-79 loss to Texas Tech. In 30 minutes of play, he scored only five points on a terrible 2-of-12 shooting.

In early January, Kansas head coach Bill Self disclosed that Hunter Dickinson had been struggling with a "bad knee" after the Jayhawks' loss to UCF. There had been no prior indication of the big man dealing with a knee injury.

Dickinson later confirmed that both knees were sore, with the bruises stemming from Kansas' Big 12 opener against TCU.

Dickinson's performances have remained solid for the Jayhawks despite the knee issues. Since the UCF game, Kansas has played ten games and the big man has averaged an impressive 17.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

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Jayhawks stars poised for returns against Sooners

Kansas Jayhawks' Kevin McCullar Jr.

Jamari McDowell and Kevin McCullar Jr. have been sidelined for the last two games. However, head coach Bill Self expects them to return for Saturday's game against the Sooners.

McDowell is dealing with a recurring bone bruise issue, while McCullar is battling a knee injury for the better part of the month.

“I’m anticipating that hopefully both will [be active], Jamari shouldn’t be an issue at all, and depending on how Kevin feels through practice on Thursday, if he’s able to continue to go on Friday, I would anticipate him being able to be out there some.

I don’t know the exact role, or how much he’ll play, but he practiced (Wednesday). We just put it real short,” Self said to media on Thursday.

After Kansas' loss against Texas Tech, Hunter Dickinson shed light on how challenging it has been for the Jayhawks to navigate without McCullar's presence on the floor.

“We’ve recognized how important he is to this team,” said Dickinson. “Especially in road environments where his leadership and authority really seem apparent, it’s super tough to not have him on the floor.”

McCullar Jr.'s anticipated return will provide a massive boost for the Jayhawks. He is averaging 19.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season.

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