Kansas’ Dickinson, McCullar to miss Big 12 Tournament due to injury
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Kansas Jayhawks will be without their two best players during the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City this week.
Head coach Bill Self said that seniors center Hunter Dickinson and forward Kevin McCullar Jr. will miss the conference tournament but are expected to play in the NCAA Tournament on the Hawk Talk Radio Show Monday evening.
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McCullar has been dealing with a bone bruise in his knee during conference play, missing five games already. Dickinson dislocated his shoulder in the regular season finale at Houston on Saturday.
Both players left the game early.
The good news for Kansas is that Dickinson will not need surgery.
“There’s no surgery. He did not tear his labrum,” Self said. “Actually, he’s far better off than what the doctors and the trainers even imagined. He’s got good range of motion, he’s already started rehab, all those things.”
Kansas will have only seven scholarship players for the conference tournament with junior KJ Adams Jr. likely to fill in at center, creating a small-ball lineup for the Jayhawks.
“It’s going to look a lot different and we’re going to be tiny,” Self said.
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Kansas will look to players like senior Dajuan Harris Jr., freshman Johnny Furphy and Adams to pick up the scoring load.
Self is confident his team will be near full strength by the time the NCAA Tournament arrives.
“We should be the most healthy we’ve been in a long time when the NCAA Tournament starts,” Self said.
KU will play the winner of Cincinnati and West Virginia on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.
