Kansas will be short-handed to start NCAA men's tournament because of COVID issues
Kansas will be without two players, starting forward Jalen Wilson and backup Tristan Enaruna, for at least the first game of the NCAA men's tournament because of COVID-19 issues.
The Jayhawks will have big man David McCormack back for Saturday's first-round game against 14th-seeded Eastern Washington, however. Coach Bill Self said McCormack will travel to Indianapolis on Friday morning and be able to practice with third-seeded Kansas later that day.
"It’s different," Self said Wednesday. "It's going to be different for a lot of players."
If the Jayhawks advance, Self said they hope to have Wilson, who is scheduled to arrive in Indianapolis on Monday, for the second round. Enaruna tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday night, Self said, so he wouldn't be available until the regional semifinals, at the earliest.
The Jayhawks were forced to withdraw from last week's Big 12 tournament after McCormack tested positive. Enaruna, his roommate, also was unavailable because of contact tracing protocols.
Wilson tested positive Friday, Self said.
McCormack says he is "feeling well," Self said. But he doesn't know what kind of physical shape McCormack will be in when he arrives because he's been isolating.
"I don’t know about any workout activity he’s been doing on his own," Self said. "If he's doing something, hopefully it’s because he’s feeling better. But that’s not something we encouraged him to do."
Without Wilson, Kansas will have to go with a much smaller lineup against Eastern Washington. It also will be the Jayhawks' first game in nine days, their longest layoff since early January.
"It's going to be an adjustment but not as much as people think," Self said. "We might not play well, but not because we were thrown a curveball we couldn’t hit. It'll be because somebody else played better."
Follow Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kansas won't have two players for first game of NCAA men's tournament
