The Jayhawks have a ‘shaky’ outlook in the NCAA Tournament, say CBS analysts

Clark Kellogg didn’t hesitate when asked the question Monday.

The Kansas men’s basketball team enters the NCAA Tournament having lost four of its last five games. Plus guard Kevin McCullar and forward Hunter Dickinson have missed time because of injuries, but they should be available for Thursday’s NCAA Tournament game against Samford.

Kellogg was asked during a CBS Sports call what he thought of KU’s chances of getting back on track and making a run in the tournament as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region.

“Shaky, quite shaky,” Kellogg said matter-of-factly. “I thought it was shaky even without the injuries because they didn’t have established depth. Bill Self is a magician as a coach and one of the very best who’s ever done it, and that certainly gives them a fighter’s chance anytime they take the floor. He’s magnificent as a coach. But they had some chinks in the armor prior to the injuries and you just don’t know the percentage of recovery. Hunter Dickinson, we hope that he and McCullar are close to 100%, but you don’t know that so we’ll see.

“But of the four seeds, I would say they would be the most vulnerable just because of the unknown status of key players and not having established the kind of depth and consistency that I think would be needed for them to make a deep run.”

Dickinson suffered a dislocated right shoulder in KU’s regular-season finale against Houston. McCullar has been dealing with a knee injury for much of the season. He has appeared in just three games since Feb. 18.

Charles Barkley, who is part of CBS Sports’ studio crew for the NCAA Tournament, said it’s very difficult for players who have missed time to simply return to form when they step back on the court.

“That’s the one thing that people, they don’t understand, man. Hey, playing a regular-season game ain’t like playing a playoff game,” Barkley said on the call. “Your energy level, your enthusiasm, you get tired really quick in the playoffs because you’re so hyped for the games.

“And this March Madness thing is on a whole other level because it’s just a one-and-done scenario. Coach Self has done such an amazing job, but I can say hey, health is really important and obviously both of those kids, it’s gotta be tough.”

Former Villanova coach Jay Wright struck a slightly more optimistic tone. Wright said the Jayhawks have the talent to make a run, and he believes Nick Timberlake could be an X-factor for KU.

“If you look at their team, they have probably the best starting five in college basketball. Their one through five with everybody healthy, they’re the best,” Wright said. “I thought Timberlake was starting to come on. If everybody’s healthy and they get these guys going they can make a run because they’re as talented as anybody and you really don’t need a lot of depth in the NCAA Tournament.

“But Charles makes a great point about being out for a while as a player. And as Clark said, depth, If Timberlake is not playing at the level he was when everybody got hurt, depth is going to be an issue for them.”