Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts said Sunday that KU senior Kevin McCullar Jr., who missed the Big 12 championship game because of back spasms, was in better shape on Sunday.
“Kevin’s doing good,” Roberts said. “He’s feeling a lot better. I think not playing yesterday helped. He’ll get some more rest today and then hopefully be able to do something tomorrow or Tuesday.”
The goal, of course, is for McCullar to return to the Jayhawks’ lineup as soon as possible. Roberts and several of McCullar’s teammates stressed throughout the Big 12 tournament that the goal was to have him healthy for the long haul, but they’re also eager to get him back.
“Yeah, he’s feeling OK,” Harris said Sunday. “I know he’s been having therapy sessions. We just have to get him healthy and get him ready for Thursday.”
Although the Jayhawks will not have to play all 15 teams in the region if they keep advancing, the list of talented teams in their corner of the bracket is long.
UCLA was the top No. 2 seed in the entire bracket and the Bruins were one of the “six or seven” teams the committee considered for a 1 seed.
No. 3 seed Gonzaga was the second-highest team on the 3 line and fourth-seeded Connecticut was the highest No. 4 seed in the bracket. From there, things evened out a little, with Saint Mary’s being the third-best No. 5 seed and TCU the last No. 6 seed.
Should KU get by Howard in Round 1, they will face the winner of the 8-9 game between Arkansas and Illinois. Arkansas was the second-best No. 8 seed in the bracket and Illinois the final No. 9 seed.
The Big 12 Conference landed seven teams in the NCAA Tournament, with Oklahoma State on the list of the first four out, narrowly missing a spot in the 68-team field.
Kansas was the highest-seeded Big 12 team, with Texas earning the second-best No. 2 seed and Baylor landing as the top No. 3 seed.
Kansas State was also a No. 3 seed and Iowa State earned a spot on the 6 line with TCU.
West Virginia, as a No. 9 seed, was the lowest-seeded Big 12 team in this year’s tournament.
Oklahoma and Texas Tech joined Oklahoma State on the outside looking in.
The first set of odds for Thursday’s matchup with Howard had Kansas as a 23-point favorite, according to Draft Kings.
However, there was much more to the odds equation for the Jayhawks than the Round 1 matchup.
The Jayhawks were listed as the third or fourth favorite to win it all at most sports books online, which makes since given that Self’s squad is the No. 3 overall seed.
In addition, odds from KenPom.com for advancing to each round also surfaced shortly after the bracket was revealed on Sunday and they painted a different picture. According to the analytics guru, the Jayhawks had the fourth-best chance of reaching the Final Four in the West region.
No. 2 seed UCLA was the favorite at 29.36%, with No. 3 Gonzaga (16.69%) and No. 4 UConn (16.52%) both ahead of the top-seeded Jayhawks at 14.94%.
It’s worth noting that KenPom had Kansas with a 27.9% chance of reaching the Final Four last season and a 6.6% chance of winning it all, and the Jayhawks achieved both feats.
KU is 2-0 all-time against Howard, with the two teams meeting last on Dec. 29, 2011. Kansas won that game 89-34. The first meeting between the two schools came on March 20, 1992 in the NCAA Midwest regional in Dayton, Ohio, where Kansas won 100-67… The Jayhawks will be making their seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s west region. KU was in the west in 2021 and bowed out in the second round and also won the west region in 2003 en route to an appearance in the national title game… Kansas is 45-13 all-time as a No. 1 seed. That includes a 15-0 mark against No. 16 seeds… The Jayhawks are 115-48 all-time in NCAA Tournament games.
• Selection Sunday notebook: McCullar improving, 7 Big 12 teams get in
• 2023 NCAA Tournament Preview: First glance at No. 16 seed Howard, KU’s first-round opponent
• Kansas coach Bill Self released from hospital, ready to join Jayhawks for NCAA Tournament
• 2023 NCAA Tournament seed list, 1 through 68
• 2023 NCAA Tournament Preview: 5 reasons KU can repeat as national champs
• 2023 NCAA Tournament Preview: 8 teams not named Kansas that can win it all this season
