LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — When injuries to Hunter Dickinson and fellow All-American candidate Kevin McCullough Jr. made him unavailable for the game in Kansas City, Bill Self was in the Big 12 Tournament. He wanted to know what Kansas would be like.
The Jayhawks, with their small size and depth challenges, turned out to be game – singular. Lost to Cincinnati by 20 seconds. before they open the package. And as curious as Self was last week, this game highlighted how much he doesn't want his team to go into this week's NCAA Tournament without Dickinson and McCuller.
“Damn, if you're perfect you can play with anyone. We proved that,” Self said. The team is the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region and will have a tough opener Thursday in Salt Lake City against No. 13 seed Sanford.
The problem is that the Jayhawks haven't been healthy for a while. Dickinson was sidelined with a shoulder injury about a week ago. Lost to Houston by 30 points.the knee injury that left McCuller on the bench has been going on for several weeks.
The 7-foot Dickinson did non-contact workouts over the weekend, and Self expected to have a full practice Monday to prepare for the NCAA Tournament. He was also optimistic that McCuller would be able to play, although it's not a sure thing.
“(McCullagh's) overall game plan is to hope he's good on Monday, and if he's bad he won't be, and we'll expect that on Tuesday. .'But I don't know as much about Kevin as I do about Hunt,'' Self said. “I think when you get Hunter back, he automatically gives you confidence. He's different in that way and he's going to give us more than we've ever had at this time of year.”
But the Jayhawks aren't the only ones concerned about health. Whether it's a top-seeded team like Purdue or Houston or a bubble team like Colorado or Northwestern, much of the NCAA Tournament hopes could rest in the training room.
no. 1 Seed situation
Houston lost Terrence Arsenault to a torn Achilles tendon in December, Ramon Walker Jr. to a torn meniscus in February, and Joseph Tagler to a broken foot a week later. So the Cougars' front line was already thin before Jawan Roberts injured his right foot during the game. Defeat Texas Tech in the Big 12 semifinals. Roberts started the title game against Iowa State but sat out the second half of the Cougars' 69-41 loss on Saturday night.
Purdue, which like Houston earned the No. 1 seed, will be keeping a close eye on All-Big Ten guard Braden Smith's calf. He hurt it in the conference quarterfinal win over Michigan State, but didn't seem to mind it as much in the semifinal loss to Wisconsin.
“He's a tough guy,” Boilermakers general center Zach Eady said. “I never had any doubts about whether he was going to play, whether he was going to be OK. In high school, he played about half a season with a broken foot. He never experienced pain. I can do it. I trust him.”
market misery
Tyler Kolek has missed six straight games for second-seeded Marquette in the South since injuring his oblique muscle on Feb. 28 against Providence. All 3 games The Golden Eagles played in the Big East Tournament.
“The schedule is for him to play,” said Marquette coach Shaka Smart, who plays No. 15 seed Western Kentucky in Indianapolis on Friday. “But we have to grow this week.”
The Golden Eagles will also monitor the status of big man Oso Ighodalo, who did not play in the 2018 intercollegiate game. big east title game Guard Stevie Mitchell has been playing through a shoulder injury after banging his left knee.
big 12 bumming
Texas Tech, the No. 6 seed in the South, will be without 7-foot center Warren Washington for a month with a foot injury, and Darrion Williams also hurt his ankle during the game. Big 12 tournament quarterfinals against BYU. Williams attempted to warm up before the semifinals, but did not play in the lopsided loss to Houston.
Meanwhile, BYU forward Ali Khalifa injured his ankle in the second half of the loss to the Red Raiders. The Cougars, the No. 6 seed in the East, were already without Mark Adams Jr. and Dawson Baker for most of the season due to injuries.
Other injury prospects
Colorado State plays Boise State in a First Four game Tuesday night, but the status of guard Julian Hammond III (knee) and forward Cody Williams (ankle) is unknown. The winner of that game will play No. 7 seed Florida. We lost Mika Handlotten to a broken leg. in the opening minutes of the Gators' loss to Auburn in the SEC Finals on Sunday.
No. 9 seed Northwestern, which is without guard Ty Berry after a season-ending torn meniscus, hopes Matthew Nicholson will be available for Friday's game against No. 8 seed FAU in New York. The center has been dealing with a foot injury for the past two weeks.
Nevada was ambushed by an influenza epidemic prior to 2018. mountain west tournament Last week — Wolfpack coach Steve Alford estimated five or six players were infected. They're all healthy, but guard Hunter McIntosh remains uncertain with a knee injury.
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AP March Madness Bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket And scope of application: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
