Kansas graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (15) shoots for three against Wichita State during the second half of Saturday’s game inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
By Robert O'Neill on

As Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks look to navigate yet another NCAA Tournament, they’ll be significantly disadvantaged following the loss of one of their best players.

After re-aggravating a bone bruise in his knee suffered in February, leading scorer and second-leading rebounder Kevin McCullar was held out of the Big 12 Tournament in the hope that the extra week of rest would get the senior guard back for the NCAA Tournament.

Tuesday night, Self announced that wouldn’t be the case and that McCullar’s college career was over.

McCullar released a statement shortly later on his X account confirming the news.

The statement thanked Kansas fans and expressed disappointment at the news while also getting into what the rehabilitation process has been like for the All-Big 12 first-team guard.

After spending his first two seasons with fellow Big 12 school Texas Tech, McCullar transferred to Kansas before the 2022-23 season and had a strong debut season with the Jayhawks, averaging a solid 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. 

In 2023-24, though, McCullar took a giant leap forward. He led all Jayhawks with 18.3 points per game to go along with six rebounds per game. McCullar also recorded a pair of triple-doubles this season, coming in back-to-back games in November against Kentucky and Chaminade. He’s the first player in Kansas history with back-to-back triple-doubles and just the seventh in NCAA history.

Kansas fans and teammates sent McCullar their well wishes Tuesday evening.

[Kevin McCullar Jr.]

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