Kansas Star Kevin McCullar Jr. to Miss 2024 NCAA Tournament

On Tuesday in Salt Lake City, Bill Self announced to the assembled media that star swingman Kevin McCullar will be out for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

"Kevin [McCullar] is not going to play. Kevin says his knee pain has not subsided any and it is too bad for him to contribute." Self said. 

The Jayhawks bench boss was asked if McCullar could return in the second weekend which is where we got clarification on the draft prospect's knee injury.

"We are shutting him down for the whole tournament. If we are fortunate enough to win two games [this week], we would have done it without him and he has not practiced in six weeks. He hasn't done more damage to his knee, but he tried [to play] and said he just couldn't go," Self added.

This is a huge blow to the Jayhawks who have seen their lack of depth cost them down the stretch of this season highlighted by a couple of blowout losses, a rarity in the Self era. 

However, this also holds major implications for the 2024 NBA Draft. For McCullar individually, he could've used a return to the hardwood to not only solidify his draft status as a fringe lottery pick but put the knee injury to rest. Instead, speculation will ensue during this process and he loses out on some important games to prove himself. 

While he should still be a first-round pick, McCullar could've catapulted himself into the lottery with a solid tournament showing. This also impacts one of his Kansas teammates, Johnny Furphy. 

The Freshman is a hot-and-cold draft prospect who might be on the fence about going to the NBA Draft or staying in Lawrence. While Furphy should skip town for the draft, a highlight-filled tournament run would've made the decision a no-brainer. 

Instead, Kansas will fight an uphill battle to outlast a spunky Samford squad whose press might wear down the shallow Jayhawkers. This injury could fluctuate draft boards.