Bill Self Responds to Claims He Threw Kevin McCullar Under the Bus

Bill Self clarified his comments to the media regarding Kevin McCullar Jr.
Bill Self clarified his comments to the media regarding Kevin McCullar Jr. / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

It's been a strange week for the Jayhawks after Bill Self announced Kevin McCullar Jr. would miss the entire NCAA Tournament with his knee injury.

Self's comments seemed to put the onus on McCullar and not the team doctors, leading to rampant speculation throughout the fanbase that McCullar was letting his teammates down by choosing not to play.

That narrative always felt a bit ridiculous and now Self is clearing the air on social media.

Bill Self Releases Statement on Kevin McCullar Jr.

In a bit of a backtrack from his initial comments to media, Self insisted that McCullar's decision was not his alone and rather a collective agreement from the team's decisionmakers.

McCullar will serve as an assistant coach for the Jayhawks, who enter the NCAA Tournament in a slump and in desperate need of a convincing victory.

A projected first-round NBA Draft pick, McCullar's career at Kansas is now over and he'll start preparing for his professional career. He'll end as one of the better Jayhawks in recent memory, averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game while routinely guarding the opponent's best perimeter player.

It's unfortunate that McCullar won't be able to pay in March Madness, but regardless, it's nice to see Self stop the nonsense circulating in the fanbase.

Kansas is a 6.5-point favorite against Samford with -300 odds on the moneyline, but FanDuel Sportsbook is giving new users a $200 bonus if the Jayhawks win! Click here to sign up and bet $5 or more (with a $10 deposit) on Kansas to win and you'll get an extra $200 in bonus bets if they do. It's the biggest odds boost available - sign up for FanDuel now!

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.