With the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments set to tip off, here's a look at some of the injuries that could have a big effect on March Madness.
Jayhawks Coach Bill Self announced Tuesday that McCullar, the team's leading scorer, will not play in the NCAA tournament because of a bone bruise on his knee that has caused him to miss six of Kansas's past 12 games.
"Kevin's with the team," Self said. "I mean, heck, he tried and we know he tried and was going through rehab, and it just didn't get any better. The other weeks, it progressively got a little bit better. And this week it just -- with consultation with doctors and with Kevin and where he is mentally and physically right now, it's best for him to go ahead and shut it down, unfortunately for us, and more so for him, but there was really no decision to be made because he can't go."
McCullar averaged 18.3 points and was second on the team in assists and rebounds, and his presence on the court freed up the Jayhawks' other scoring threats. Second-team all-American Hunter Dickinson, who is expected to play against Samford after he missed Kansas's loss to Cincinnati in the Big 12 tournament with a dislocated shoulder, is shooting 43.1 percent in games McCullar has missed, compared with 57.4 percent in games he played.
The fourth-seeded Jayhawks open the tournament Thursday night against No. 13 Samford in Salt Lake City.
The fifth-year senior, Cougars captain and leading rebounder, whom Coach Kelvin Sampson said is "dripping with Cougar DNA," hurt his right leg in Houston's Big 12 tournament semifinal win over Texas Tech and didn't play the second half of the loss to Iowa State in the championship game.
The Cougars have been battling injuries all season -- guard Terrance Arceneaux suffered a torn Achilles' tendon in December, guard Ramon Walker Jr. suffered a torn meniscus in February, and forward Joseph Tugler broke a bone in his foot a week later -- and their depth is a concern. On Tuesday, Roberts said he was feeling fine but has not been doing much contact work in practices leading up to top-seeded Houston's tournament opener against No. 16 Longwood on Friday night.
Golden Eagles Coach Shaka Smart said Sunday that Kolek has been practicing with the team after missing its final six games with an oblique injury suffered Feb. 28 against Providence.
"The plan is for him to play," Smart said. "But he's got to go through a progression this week. And so once we get back on the practice court, we'll be able to continue that progression."
Kolek is averaging 7.6 assists, the most of any player in the NCAA tournament, while shooting 40 percent from three-point range and 88 percent from the free throw line.
The three-time ACC player of the year missed the conference tournament with an undisclosed injury, and on Thursday, Coach Kenny Brooks told reporters that Kitley would miss the entire NCAA tournament after tearing the ACL in her left knee in the Hokies' regular season finale. The fourth-seeded Hokies begin play Friday against No. 13 Marshall.
Kitley, a 6-foot-6 center, averaged 22.8 points and 11.4 rebounds for the Hokies, who advanced to last year's Final Four. She has more rebounds and double-doubles than anyone in ACC history.
Watson tore her ACL in the Fighting Irish's ACC tournament semifinal win over Virginia Tech and will miss the NCAA tournament.
The 6-4 forward started every game she was available for Notre Dame this season, averaging 6.2 points and a team-high 1.4 blocks.
The second-seeded Fighting Irish will have only eight healthy scholarship players available for their NCAA tournament opener against No. 15 Kent State on Saturday. Only six players saw the court in Notre Dame's win over North Carolina State in the ACC tournament championship game.
The 7-1 center broke his left leg in a gruesome incident early in the Gators' Southeastern Conference tournament final loss to Auburn on Sunday and will miss the NCAA tournament. After having a rod and two screws inserted into his leg at a Nashville hospital, Handlogten will drive with his parents to Indianapolis to see his teammates face Boise State or Colorado in the first round Friday.
Though his numbers dropped amid the emergence of freshman Alex Condon, Handlogten started all 32 games and averaged 5.3 points and 6.9 rebounds.
Nicholson, a 7-foot center who started for much of the season, suffered a foot injury March 2 against Iowa and will miss the NCAA tournament, Coach Chris Collins said Wednesday. Nicholson is averaging 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds (the latter ranking second on the team).
Northwestern already will be without starting guard Ty Berry, who suffered a season-ending meniscus tear against Nebraska on Feb. 7.
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