Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas Jayhawks will not have one of their best weapons with them when they go to war in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, as it’s been revealed that star guard Kevin McCullar Jr. will not be able to dance in the tourney because of a nagging knee injury.

Kansas Jayhawks To Play In 2024 March Madness Without 1 Major Weapon

Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self delivered the brutal news about McCullar on Monday.

We are shutting Kevin down for the tournament,” Self said (h/t Shreyas Laddha of The Kansas City Star.

More from Laddha:

Per Self, he hasn’t practiced and the knee pain continues to persist. Self says Elmarko or Nick will play in his place. He adds that he tried going through rehab, but this week it just didn’t get any better. #KUbball

McCullar last saw action for the Kansas Jayhawks during a 76-46 annihilation at the hands of the Houston Cougars where he played in only 15 minutes and did not see action in the second half. Earlier in the same week of that Houston game, McCullar hurt his knee in a 90-68 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats.

Not having McCullar in the tournament is a big blow for the Jayhawks, but they should still be competitive. The No. 4 seed Jayhawks are getting back big man Hunter Dickinson, who missed the entire Big 12 Tournament.

For what it’s worth, Kansas has won just three of five games when Dickinson was available and McCullar was not.

The Jayhawks are scheduled to play the Samford Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

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