Kansas star Kevin McCullar (knee) to miss NCAA Tournament

Field Level Media|published: Tue 19th March, 19:52 2024

Mar 2, 2024; Waco, Texas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) shoots over Baylor Bears guard Jayden Nunn (2) during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. credits: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas star guard Kevin McCullar will miss the NCAA Tournament due to a knee injury, coach Bill Self announced Tuesday.

"Kevin's not gonna play," Self told reporters before the fourth-seeded Jayhawks face No. 13 Samford on Thursday. "Kevin says his knee pain has not subsided any, and it's too bad for him to be able to contribute."

Neither McCullar nor center Hunter Dickinson played in the Big 12 tournament last week, when Kansas (22-10) was knocked out by Cincinnati in its first game.

McCullar had aggravated a knee injury during the regular-season finale against Houston and sat out the second half.

The news was better for Dickinson, who dislocated his right shoulder during the second half against Houston. Self said Dickinson looks "great" and has been practicing since Saturday. Dickinson has been full-contact for two days.

McCullar was an all-Big 12 first-team selection in his second season at Kansas following three years at Texas Tech. In 26 games (all starts), he averaged career highs of 18.3 points and 4.1 assists per game to go with 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals.

Dickinson, in his first year with the Jayhawks after three seasons at Michigan, averages 18.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He started all 31 games he played for Kansas before his injury.

While not at full strength, the Jayhawks lost their past two games by a combined 50 points — 76-46 to Houston and 72-52 to Cincinnati.

—Field Level Media