Norm Roberts provides health update on Kevin McCullar

Kansas guard Kevin McCullar did not play Saturday in the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas but Jawhawks assistant coach Norm Roberts said it should not be anything for the long haul.

McCullar has been dealing with a back injury recently and his spasms flared up Friday against Iowa State. Roberts, who is the acting head coach while Bill Self has been out this week, said McCullar is day-to-day and that him not playing was a result of being cautious.

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

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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 and is 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 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.”

In addition to Kevin McCullar, Norm Roberts provided an update on Bill Self

Bill Self underwent a “underwent a standard procedure that went well” earlier this week, according to the Kansas athletic department. Norm Roberts said the expectation is for him to be on the sidelines for the NCAA Tournament.

“He’s doing well,” Roberts said. “We plan on him coaching next week.”