Jayhawks optimistic as they get healthier for NCAA Tournament

The Jayhawks have limped into the NCAA Tournament in years past, but the 2024 team may be doing so at a rate that has not been seen in a long time. However this year, the strategic approach was taken with the Big 12 Conference Tournament.

Head coach Bill Self elected to keep Kevin McCullar and Hunter Dickinson away from the tournament as they dealt with injuries. For McCullar, it has been an ongoing struggle.

“He's probably practiced three times maybe in the last four or five weeks,” Self said. “He didn't practice after the K-State game and then felt good enough to play against Houston; at least that's what he said and then once he got out there realized it was a bad idea.”

McCullar did not go into the game during the second half of the Houston game, and that is when it went from bad to worse for the Jayhawks, as Dickinson dislocated his shoulder. Self said it was an easy decision to keep McCullar out of the Big 12 Tournament when he knew that Dickinson would not be playing.

The 20-point loss for Kansas was a bad one on paper, especially after losing in blowout fashion to Houston as well. However, the thought of being at full strength gives a team that has lost their last two games by a combined 50 points a lot of confidence.

“Just going to approach it with optimism,” freshman Elmarko Jackson said. “We get two All-Americans back full speed by Monday, so we’re going to have about a week to prepare and get everybody healthy.”

The Jayhawks normally enter Kansas City as one of the favorites to win the Big 12 Tournament, but with the injuries at hand and having to play a game they normally do not have to play, it seems that all of the eggs were put into the NCAA Tournament basket.

“We’re just glad that Kevin and Hunter can get some rest before the tournament,” KJ Adams said “Looking forward to that and trying to get everybody all back together.”

Contributing to that confidence are the wins that the Jayhawks had when they were at full strength. Wins at home against the likes of Houston and UConn to go along with neutral site wins over Tennessee and Kentucky are a lot to fall back on when confidence runs low.

“I’m excited to see how we go with our full squad,” freshman Johnny Furphy said. “We’ve shown we can beat anyone with the whole squad locked in and focused.”

Losing on Wednesday of the Big 12 Tournament may have been a blessing in disguise for the Jayhawks as they look to enter the NCAA Tournament the healthiest they have been since those big wins. The health of the Jayhawks could very well determine how far they go.

“We have struggled of late but we haven't been whole yet either,” Self said. “I mean gosh dang it if we could just get whole, we can play with anybody. We've proven that.”