Kansas coach Bill Self said Thursday that he expected injured Jayhawks Kevin McCullar Jr. and Bobby Pettiford to be available Saturday at Iowa State.
Self said he did not think either would practice on Thursday, though.
McCullar, a starter all season, has been dealing with an injury to his right index finger. Self said it was not broken and noted after Tuesday’s win over Kansas State that the senior guard was able to play through it.
Pettiford, who has been hampered by injuries throughout his career, tweaked his hamstring in the win over Kansas State but appears to have made it through that setback OK.
Like McCullar, Pettiford continued to play even after the injury on Tuesday night.
Those are two of the most notable injuries facing the 8th-ranked Jayhawks, but far from all of them.
Freshman big man Zuby Ejiofor is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks with a left foot injury that has required him to be in a walking boot for most of the week. And Self said Thursday that Cam Martin (shoulder) and Kyle Cuffe Jr. (knee) remain a long way
“I don’t know if either one is close to 100%,” Self said. “I think they’re both kind of at that 80% range, but the last 20 will be the hardest to get better. I can’t see either of them impacting us moving forward in a big way at all.”
As for MJ Rice, who remains limited by back spasms, Self said the freshman guard told him he could not go at halftime of the win over Kansas State.
Self said Rice was getting treatment every day and that he hoped “he can be a piece that we have moving forward that we can use.”
KU will travel to No. 13 Iowa State this weekend for an 11 a.m. tipoff at Hilton Coliseum in yet another high-profile game that figures to have a big impact on the Big 12 race.
Nick Krug
