Kansas star Hunter Dickinson (shoulder) hurt in loss to Houston

Field Level Media|published: Sat 9th March, 20:56 2024

Mar 9, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson (1) attempts to score as Houston Cougars guard Mylik Wilson (8) defends during the first half at Fertitta Center. credits: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas star Hunter Dickinson dislocated his right shoulder during the No. 14 Jayhawks' 76-46 loss to No. 1 Houston on Saturday.

Kansas coach Bill Self said Dickinson will undergo an MRI exam on Sunday.

Also, fellow star Kevin McCullar Jr. missed the second half after aggravating a knee injury.

Both players are among the 15 finalists for the Wooden Award.

Self said it was "too soon" to know if the duo will be available for next week's Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.

Dickinson was injured in the second half while battling for a rebound with just more than 11 minutes left.

McCullar has been dealing with a bone bruise since January and he hurt the knee again in Tuesday's game against Kansas State. He played through pain in the first half on Saturday before exiting.

"(Dickinson) dislocated his shoulder, popped back in, but he'll have an MRI to see the diagnosis and try to get a game plan moving forward for him," Self said afterward. "Kevin, he hasn't done anything since (the Kansas State game). Today, he felt better and thought he'd try.

"I wish we wouldn't have played (McCullar). It's a pretty big level of concern when your two best players are probably questionable moving forward."

Dickinson had 11 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes before exiting. He is averaging 18.0 points and 10.8 rebounds in 31 games.

McCullar was scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes. He is averaging 18.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in 26 games.

Kansas (22-9) has lost five of its past nine games after being manhandled by the Cougars.

"I don't feel great about the big picture, only because I don't know what our health situation is," Self said. "Guys, if we had our five guys and they're all lined up and they're healthy, we can play with anybody. But we're not right now. Now, that's not why we lost today but that's been the primary reason when we haven't played well recently, so hopefully we'll get a good report on (Dickinson) and hopefully, (McCullar) will start feeling better. And if that's the case, our outlook will be different than it is right now."

—Field Level Media

Latest