The Kansas Jayhawks are going to be shorthanded heading into the Big Dance. Not only will they be shorthanded, but it'll be because of the absence of one of their best players.
On Tuesday, Kansas head coach Bill Self announced that senior forward Kevin McCullar Jr. is going to miss the NCAA Tournament, putting an end to the prolific scorer collegiate career.
"Kevin's not gonna play. Kevin says his knee pain has not subsided any and it's too bad for him to be able to contribute. So Kevin will not play," Self told reporters.
McCullar missed the Big 12 tournament for the Jayhawks after sitting out the second half of the regular season finale. Since then, he's been working his way back to the court, though he won't be back in time to finish off his career in March Madness.
The 6-foot-7 forward is in his second season in Lawrence after transferring from Texas Tech. This last season, he averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He did this while battling the knee injury down the final stretch of the regular season.
The Jayhawks drew the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region as they'll take on No. 13 Samford on Thursday to kick off their tournament action. They'll still see the services of Hunter Dickinson, who sat out of the Big 12 tournament. He was dealing with a dislocated shoulder, also coming at the end of the regular season.
It'll be a tall task for Kansas to try and dance while being without one of their top performers.
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