Norm Roberts calls Bill Self's status 'day-to-day'

The Big 12 Tournament took an odd turn for Kansas when coach Bill Self was hospitalized and his status caused him to miss the rest of the event after undergoing ‘a standard procedure.’

The Jayhwaks are hoping to have him back for the NCAA Tournament after earning a No. 1 seed in the West Region. If the comments of interim coach Norm Roberts or star Jalen Wilson is any indication, that appears to be well on track.

“He’s doing well today,” Roberts said. “He was at practice today, he was at practice last night and all of our meetings. He’s doing well, he’s getting better all the time. We’re hopeful and everything is day-to-day with him, but if you ask our guys he got after them pretty good today so he was doing really well.”

Self was discharged from the University of Kansas Health System on Sunday, moving a step closer toward a return to normal activities.

Kansas put together a very respectable run through the Big 12 Tournament without Self there, reaching the Big 12 Championship final against Texas. But the Longhorns downed the Jayhawks with a convincing 76-56 win.

Still, Bill Self’s status is the major storyline for the Kansas program.

By all accounts he seems to be rounding back into form at a quick pace, with Wilson noting he looked just fine at practice earlier this week.

“He’s looking great, feeling great,” Wilson said. “We were able to talk to him today at practice and, you know, he’s excited. We’re all excited. It’s great to have him back on the court with us. For him to be able to coach us and start off tomorrow with a bang.”

Bill Self’s status also isn’t the only one worth monitoring, as guard Kevin McCullar didn’t play in the Big 12 Championship Game due to injury.

Roberts gives health update on McCullar

McCullar has been dealing with a back injury recently and his spasms flared up Friday against Iowa State. Roberts said McCullar is day-to-day and that not playing was a result of caution.

“He needed to rest. And we’re thinking about it for the long haul, given that the tournament is next week,” Roberts said after Kansas lost to the Longhorns.

McCullar was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team this season, his first for the Jayhawks after four years with Texas Tech.

He is third on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game. He is also second in rebounds with 7.1 per contest. McCullar also has the second-most total steals and blocks on the squad.

“Kevin makes a big impact with our team,” Roberts said. “He can do so many different things and he 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.”