Why Kansas basketball could be on the wrong side of the injury report vs. Texas Tech
Because of injury problems, No. 10-ranked Texas Tech used just six players in a 69-61 loss to No. 4 Houston on Monday night in Lubbock, Texas.
The Red Raiders (21-7, 12-5) are hoping to have at least two key reinforcements — the team’s second and third leading scorers — available for duty for Saturday’s 1 p.m. game at unranked Kansas (19-9, 10-7).
Tipoff is 1 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse with a live telecast on ESPN.
“It truly is day to day to see if we can get them to feel confident and healthy so when they step on the floor they can be full go and competitive,” Tech coach Grant McCasland said Thursday, referring to Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams.
“I will say their intent is to play Saturday. From their perspective, I get the sense they are done watching,” McCasland added.
McMillian, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Vallejo, California, who averages 15.1 points a game (he’s shooting 45.4% from 3), has missed the last two games with a lower body injury. Williams, a 6-6 junior forward from Sacramento who averages 14.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists, was unavailable for the Houston game because of his own lower body injury.
Also, reserve forward Eemeli Yalaho sat out the Houston game with an upper body injury. Tech on Saturday used seven players in a 73-51 win over West Virginia in Lubbock.
“We’re anticipating everyone playing, but I have no idea on their injury report, nor do I suspect I will know before Saturday,” KU coach Bill Self said.
The Jayhawks know a lot about Williams. He scored 30 points on perfect 12-of-12 shooting (4-of-4 from 3) in the Red Raiders’ 79-50 rout of KU last season in Lubbock, Texas. He played 38 minutes. McMillian came off the bench to score seven points on 3-of-8 shooting (1-of-6 from 3) in 22 minutes. Yalaho played just one minute in that annihilation of the Jayhawks.
“They beat our butt bad last year,” Self said. “That was when Kevin (McCullar) first got hurt (and did not play). They made us look bad. And the coach of that particular game actually left with about seven minutes left in it prematurely,” he added with a smile.
Self was ejected and sent to the locker room after picking up two technical fouls with six minutes left in Lubbock.
“I did say a magic word, I guess, multiple times that got me a couple of technicals,” Self said at the time.
The T’s came after Hunter Dickinson was called for an offensive foul under the basket.
“I’m looking forward to coaching a 40-minute game on on Saturday against a really good team,” Self said.
KU returns three scholarship players who played in that game. Dickinson had five points on 2-of-12 shooting with seven rebounds in 30 minutes. Dajuan Harris had seven points on 2-of-8 shooting with three assists and three turnovers in 36 minutes. KJ Adams had five points on 1-of-10 shooting with three rebounds in 36 minutes.
Asked if the three KU returnees will speak to their teammates about that loss to Tech, Self said: “They could. If they don’t do it, it will certainly be brought up. I mean they whipped us from start to finish last year down there. I think we tied it at 12, and then after that I don’t think we ever got it back (to even). There will be some incentive from that, but it’s a different team, a different roster. That message will be relayed, but how it’s received with only three guys that really probably played in the game may be a little different.”
Meanwhile, KU has been down to an eight-man rotation during its current two-game winning streak. Senior guard Shakeel Moore is highly questionable because of a lingering foot injury.
“I’d like for Shak to be healthy,” Self said. “Rakease (Passmore, 11 minutes in last Saturday’s home rout of OSU) is the odd man out right now. I’m OK with eight as long as those eight guys are all contributing and healthy.”
Moore’s presence would be welcome, of course, in KU’s final three games of the regular season into the postseason. KU travels to Houston on Monday and faces Arizona a week from Saturday at home.
“At some point, but I’m not sure about Saturday,” Self said of Moore possibly returning this season. “It’s a situation where he’ll just go as pain is tolerated and deal with it when the season is over in whatever way he needs to deal with it.
“It’s just just been a situation where it’s been too painful for him to be able to be out there and play with remotely a free mind. The medical staff has confirmed all that. So you know, it’s unfortunate and sad for him and sad for us, but he’s going to be dealing with this the rest of the season.”
KU is hoping to continue its success at home against Tech, a team that is 6-2 on the road this season.
KU is 22-1 all-time against Tech in games played in Allen Fieldhouse. KU has won five in a row over Tech in Allen, the last loss 85-73 on Jan. 2, 2018.
“We are not (the only program with) that kind of a record at Allen Fieldhouse,” McCasland said. “I’m close with a lot of coaches in this league. I watched it as it was happening when Houston beat them at their place this year (92-86, double overtime). I did not watch the game until the other day when West Virginia beat them earlier in the season (62-61 for KU’s other loss at Allen in 2024-25). It’s happened to them limited times (at home).
“I know the grit it takes to do it. It just has to be from the beginning. I don’t care about any records; I care about our team and how we’ll be prepared to be our best. That’s any game, but you know this one in regards to this building and the way they compete at home.”
Of KU, McCasland said: “I think their team is playing great basketball right now too. They went through a stretch like a lot of people do in February (4-4 in the month). February is the month you get the widest range because of injuries, fatigue of the Big 12 Conference. You get scores that are wild. They’ve experienced that, but the win they got against Oklahoma State (96-64) the other day at home said a lot about who they are as a team and what they are capable of.”
