Is Kevin McCullar Jr. playing today vs Kansas State? Kansas star guard's status explored
Kevin McCullar Jr. will remain in the lineup on Monday night as the Kansas Jayhawks take on the Kansas State Wildcats.
McCullar returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing Tuesday's matchup against Oklahoma State due to an injury. The guard sat out one game due to a bone bruise, which coach Bills Self said wouldn't keep McCullar out of the lineup for long.
"It’s too early, but like I said all along, it’s a bone bruise," Self told reporters. "I’m anticipating him being able to go, but I don’t know the extent or how much it will bother him or anything like that. We'll know more after today."
After missing just one outing, McCullar returned to the lineup as Kansas beat Houston on Saturday.
Before the game, Self said McCullar was held out of Tuesday's game for precaution:
"I think that if it was the end of the season, I think he would have played. But I didn’t think it was the right thing to do to play him, and he didn’t either. So it was good that he was able to rest it, and we were able to get by with it.
"I think he’ll do whatever he has to do treatment-wise to make sure that he does play (Saturday). And structurally, we don’t think there’s any issues. It’s a bone bruise."
In his return to the lineup against the Cougars, McCullar played 37 minutes and scored 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Kansas is currently favored to beat Kansas State by 4.5 points, with tipoff set for 9 p.m. ET.
The Jayhawks are ranked eighth in the country and are 18-4. Kansas is coming off a 78-65 home win over the fourth-ranked Houston Cougars on Saturday.
Kevin McCullar Jr.'s stats
Kevin McCullar is in his fifth college season and second at Kansas.
The guard out of San Antonio began his college career at Texas Tech. After three years with the Red Raiders, he transferred to Kansas.
In his first season at Kansas, McCullar started 33 out of 34 games, recording 10.7 points, seven rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
To begin the 2023-24 season, McCullar has started all 21 games he's played in, averaging 35.1 minutes, 19.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
Kevin McCullar is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft.