Kansas star Kevin McCullar Jr. will not play in the NCAA tournament, coach Bill Self said Tuesday.
McCullar missed six of the final 12 games of the season, including last week's Big 12 tournament, due to a bone bruise in his knee.
“Kevin's not going to play,” Self told reporters. “Kevin says his knee pain hasn't gone away and it's a shame he can contribute. So Kevin won't play. We'll shut him down for the tournament.
“Basically, he hasn't practiced in six weeks. He hasn't done any more damage to his knee. But he tried to do it.” [to play] and he said he just couldn't go.”
McCullar, in a post on X Later Tuesday, he said he was “more devastated than anyone” to not be able to play.
“I've done everything I can to get back to playing at a high level and help my team,” McCullar said in his post. “This included 6 to 7 hours a day with the training staff in Kansas for over a month, not participating in practice but instead competing in games. While trying various treatment options, I simply wasn't where I needed to be to play the game. “
McCullar, a 6-foot-7 senior who played the first three seasons of his career at Texas Tech before spending the last two at Kansas, was one of the country's biggest stars. He averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists en route to earning first-team All-Big 12 honors.
Ahead of the conference tournament, Self said both McCullar and teammate Hunter Dickinson, who suffered a shoulder dislocation late in the regular season, should be available to practice this week in preparation for the NCAA tournament.
As long as McCullar is out, Dickinson is ready to play.
“The hunt looks great,” Self said. “He's practiced basically every day since Saturday. No contact. The last two days have been full contact.”
Dickinson, a transfer from Michigan, averaged 18.0 points and 10.8 rebounds this season. He also earned first-team All-Big 12 accolades.
Kansas, which earned a fourth seed in the NCAA tournament, faces 13th-ranked Samford on Thursday.
