Kansas senior Kevin McCullar Jr., a guard from San Antonio in his first year with the KU program, has been named as one of 15 players nationally to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
This marks the second season in a row that McCullar was up for the award. Last season, at Texas Tech, he became one of five finalists for the honor.
Now in its sixth season of existence, the award which annually honors the nation’s best all-around defender, was won by former KU guard Marcus Garrett in 2020. Other Jayhawks who have won national defensive player of the year honors include Jeff Withey, a co-recipient of the NABC honor in 2013, and Udoka Azubuike in 2020, also by the NABC.
This year, McCullar leads the Big 12 and is ninth nationally in steals per game at 2.5. His 47 steals are tied for the most in the Big 12 and rank 12th nationally and he has eight games of three or more steals this season.
Part of his defensive presence has been his work on the glass, where he averages 7.3 rebounds per game to go along with 10.4 points. He ranks second in the Big 12 with five double-doubles so far this season.
**Injury updates**
Self said Thursday that redshirt freshman guard Kyle Cuffe had been practicing some on a limited basis in recent days and that super-senior big man Cam Martin also returned to practice recently.
Cuffe has been out since before the season began following surgery on injured ligaments in his knee. And Martin missed most of non-conference play with a shoulder injury. He returned just before the first of the year but re-aggravated it and has not played much since the start of Big 12 play.
Neither play is expected to be at full speed anytime soon, but Self said that Rice, who most recently has been bothered by back spasms, would be available this weekend.
“I’ve seen nothing, at least (Wednesday) that would lead you to believe that he can’t participate,” Self said of Rice. “He was full-go.”
Getting any of the three of them back, but especially Rice, would go a long way toward helping Kansas get more from its bench, which has been lacking throughout the season.
“We’ve got to have production off the bench in a way that adds value,” Self said Thursday. “We’re capable of doing that, we just haven’t done it yet. But we’re capable.”
Self said the Jayhawks were given the day off on Tuesday and that a few players were tending to bumps and bruises this week. None of those appear to be serious.
“I think it’s just basically things that happen throughout the course of the season and (guys are) nicked up a little bit,” Self said. “But I can’t see any reason at this point in time why we won’t be full-bore on Saturday.”
Ninth-ranked Kansas (16-4 overall, 5-3 Big 12) will head to Lexington, Kentucky this weekend to take on the unranked Wildcats (14-6 overall, 5-3 SEC) in a blue blood showdown as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
The Wildcats enter the game on a four-game winning streak, while Kansas has lost three straight.
Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. from Rupp Arena and the game will be televised on ESPN.
Nick Krug
