Hunter Dickinson, a big guy for Kansas, has a shoulder ailment, but he plans to play in the NCAA Tournament.
Dickinson stated on Wednesday that his shoulder feels “good” and that he is ready to lead the fourth-seeded Jayhawks against No. 13 Samford on Thursday night in their Round of 64 showdown, according to Brendan Quinn of The Athletic.
In Kansas’s March 9 regular-season finale loss to Houston, Dickinson dislocated his shoulder. Initially, there were concerns that he might have had a torn labrum, but he didn’t require surgery and was able to recover during last week’s Big 12 tournament.
At a press conference on Wednesday prior to the NCAA Tournament, Dickinson stated, “The shoulder feels good, good enough to be out there with my teammates.”
Kansas will benefit from having Dickinson back, but they are still shorthanded. Head coach Bill Self declared star player and top scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. out of the NCAA Tournament due to a knee injury.
With a 20-point loss to Cincinnati, the Jayhawks were eliminated from the Big 12 tournament after losing four of their previous five games. Owing to the team’s injuries and current form, Quinn observed that many people saw Kansas as “a trendy pick as a potential upset victim in a first-round game.”
In addition to leading the team in 10.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, Dickinson led the Jayhawks in scoring with 18.0 points per game and was named to the first team of the Big 12. Still, Quinn drew attention to the fact that during McCullar’s absence from the starting lineup, his average dropped to 15.8 points.
If Kansas wants to avoid losing a first-round NCAA Tournament match for the first time since 2006, Dickinson must play at the highest level.
