Kansas senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. returned to action after sitting out four of five basketball games due to a bone bruise in his left knee. In his comeback games against Baylor and Kansas State, he scored a combined 39 points.
Late in the Jayhawks’ 90-68 victory over the Wildcats on Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse, McCullar exited the game with 5:35 remaining and KU leading 73-49. During Kansas basketball coach Bill Self’s press conference today, it was revealed that McCullar hasn’t been practicing with the team due to a reaggravation of his injury sustained during the Sunflower Showdown.
“He re-tweaked it. He asked to come out with six minutes left and didn’t come back after that,” said Self, referring to the 6-foot-7 San Antonio native wing.
Kevin McCullar’s status is uncertain as the team prepares for Saturday’s Big 12 regular-season finale against Houston, the No. 1-ranked team in the country.
Missing yesterday’s practice, McCullar’s condition for future games remains up in the air. Coach Self expressed uncertainty, stating “I don’t know if Kevin will practice today. I don’t know if he’ll be able to do that. But hopefully, he’ll be able to go tomorrow.”
McCullar logged 29 minutes against the Wildcats in a decisive victory earlier this week and played 31 minutes in the loss to BU.
With only a game left in the regular season, there are five days until the Big 12 Tournament and ten until Selection Sunday, prompting the question of whether it would be advisable for McCullar to undergo some “load management” for his knee rather than participating in the conference tournament.
The Jayhawks coach Self believes that McCullar’s five-game absence might hinder his chances of being considered for Big 12 Player of the Year. However, he still views McCullar as a strong candidate for first-team all-league honors.
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