If Kansas is going to make it through March Madness this year, it will have to do it without star guard Kevin McCuller Jr.
Kansas coach Bill Self said Tuesday that McCullough was not healthy enough to play in the NCAA Tournament, effectively ending both his playing time with the Jayhawks and his college career.
“He’s already out,” Self told reporters. According to the Topeka Capital Journal. “We’re going to keep him out of the tournament. So if we were lucky enough to win two games, we could have done it without him. Basically he didn’t practice in six weeks, so I didn’t do any more damage to my knee.”
McCullar’s bone bruise did not require surgery, but the pain in his knee had not subsided enough to allow him to play.
The news was tough for McCuller, who thanked fans for their support in a social media post Tuesday night.
“As for not playing in March Madness, if I can play, I’d like to.” he wrote “I am as shocked as anyone to know that my college career is already over, without being able to play or compete with the team. He has done everything he can to get back to playing at his level, which includes spending six to seven hours a day with the University of Kansas’ training staff for over a month while attending games but not practicing. It included spending time.
“I tried different treatments, but I wasn’t where I needed to be to compete.”
He added, “This is the best time of the year and I wish I could have been on the court during this time to help out my brothers and the university, but unfortunately I can’t.” We will support them for a period of time!”
McCullar will remain with the team during its NCAA Tournament run and help prepare for Thursday’s first-round game against No. 13 seed Sanford.
McCullar averaged 18.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game during the regular season at Kansas.
