Joseph Yesufu breaks down how absence of Kevin McCullar impacted Kansas

Joseph Yesufu and the rest of the Kansas Jayhawks weren’t able to overcome the loss of Kevin McCullar and Bill Self in the Big 12 Championship Game.

After the game, Yesufu explained the impact that not having McCullar had on Kansas.

“Kevin, you know, you guys know Kevin is a great defender,” Joseph Yesufu said. “He’s the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. He was missed today not only on the defensive end, but on the rebounding end.”

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“We just really missed him today,” Yesufu emphasized.

Kevin McCullar left Kansas’ semifinal game against Iowa State with back spasms. After keeping him out of the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas, the hope is that he will be healthy to play in the NCAA Tournament, where the Jayhawks are a one seed.

A health update on Kevin McCullar

After the Big 12 Championship Game, assistant coach Norm Roberts gave an update on Kevin McCullar’s health.

“He needed to rest, and we’re thinking about if for the long haul, given that the tournament is next week,” Roberts said.

“Kevin makes a big impact with our team. He can do so many different things and he is does so many little things defensively, when you got him and Juan out there you can do a lot of things as far as trapping or getting loose balls. Kevin is an excellent rebounder for us, too. We knew that going in. But it next-man-up mentality. Some of our younger guys did some good things, but we got beat too easy on back-cuts, and really the end of the shot clock, giving up easy shots or easy plays, and we need to do a better job.”