LAWRENCE, Kan.— Bill Self was eager to see how Kansas would perform in the Big 12 Tournament after injuries to Hunter Dickinson and fellow All-American candidate Kevin McCullar Jr. sidelined them for the games in Kansas City.
It turned out to be a singular game as the undersized, depth-challenged Jayhawks were defeated by 20 points by Cincinnati before they could settle in. And as curious as Self might have been last week, the game emphasized how reluctant he is to enter the NCAA Tournament this week without Dickinson and McCullar.
“If we can get healthy, we can compete with anyone. We’ve shown that,” said Self, whose team is seeded fourth in the Midwest Region and faces a tough opening game against No. 13 seed Samford on Thursday in Salt Lake City.
The issue is that the Jayhawks haven't been in top condition for a while. While the shoulder injury that kept Dickinson out occurred just over a week ago in a 30-point loss to Houston, the knee injury that sidelined McCullar has been lingering for weeks.
The 7-foot Dickinson did some non-contact work over the weekend, and Self expected him to participate in a full practice on Monday and be ready for the NCAA tournament. He also optimistically, though not definitively, hoped that McCullar would be able to play.
“The whole game plan for (McCullar) is to hopefully have him ready on Monday, and if he's not, then we'll hope for Tuesday. But I'm not as knowledgeable about Kevin as I am about Hunt,” Self said. “Having Hunter back automatically inspires confidence. He's different in that way, and he'll contribute more at this time of year than ever.”
The Jayhawks aren’t the only team concerned about their health, though. Whether it’s top-seeded teams such as Purdue and Houston or bubble teams such as Colorado and Northwestern, many of their NCAA tournament hopes could hinge on the training room.
NO. 1 SEED SCENARIOS
Houston lost Terrance Arceneaux to a torn Achilles tendon in December, Ramon Walker Jr. to a torn meniscus in February and Joseph Tugler to a broken foot a week later. So, the Cougars’ front line was already thin even before J’Wan Roberts hurt his right leg in their Big 12 semifinal win over Texas Tech. Roberts started the title game against Iowa State but did not play in the second half, when the Cougars were soundly defeated 69-41 on Saturday night.
Purdue, which like Houston earned a No. 1 seed, will be closely monitoring the calf of All-Big Ten guard Braden Smith. He hurt it in a conference quarterfinal win over Michigan State but did not seem too troubled by it in a semifinal loss to Wisconsin.
“He’s a tough guy,” said Zach Edey, the Boilermakers’ versatile center. “I've never doubted whether he's going to play, if he's going to be okay. In high school, he played with a broken foot for half a season. He can endure pain. I trust him.”
MARQUETTE’S SUFFERING
Tyler Kolek has missed six consecutive games for Marquette, seeded second in the South Region, since the All-American guard injured his oblique against Providence on Feb. 28. This includes all three games the Golden Eagles played in the Big East tourney.
Marquette coach Shaka Smart said the plan is for him to play, but he needs to go through a progression this week before facing Western Kentucky on Friday in Indianapolis.
The Golden Eagles will also be monitoring the condition of Oso Ighodaro, who didn't play in the Big East title game due to a left knee injury, and guard Stevie Mitchell, who has been playing with a shoulder injury.
BIG 12 BUMMING
Texas Tech, seeded sixth in the South, has been missing 7-foot center Warren Washington for a month due to a foot injury, while Darrion Williams injured his ankle in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tourney against BYU. Williams attempted to warm up before the semifinals but did not play in the lopsided loss to Houston.
Meanwhile, BYU forward Aly Khalifa injured his ankle in the second half of the game against the Red Raiders. The Cougars, seeded sixth in the East, had already been without Mark Adams Jr. and Dawson Baker for most of the season due to injuries.
OTHER INJURY OUTLOOKS
Colorado will play Boise State in a First Four game Tuesday night uncertain about the status of guard Julian Hammond III (knee) and forward Cody Williams (ankle). The winner of that game will play No. 7 seed Florida, which lost Micah Handlogten to a broken leg in the opening minutes of the Gators’ SEC final loss to Auburn on Sunday.
Ninth-seeded Northwestern, missing guard Ty Berry after a season-ending meniscus tear, hopes Matthew Nicholson is available against No. 8 seed FAU on Friday in New York. The center has been dealing with a foot injury for the past two weeks.
Nevada was hit by the flu bug before the Mountain West Tournament last week, with coach Steve Alford estimating that five or six players had it. They are all healthy now, though guard Hunter McIntosh remains uncertain due to a knee injury.
