Kansas injury report: MJ Rice in; Cam Martin, Kyle Cuffe out

Kansas will have the majority of its key rotation pieces available when the Jayhawks take the floor at Rupp Arena on Saturday. The players who have missed the majority of the season, though, are expected to remain out.

Freshman wing MJ Rice, a five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American out of high school, has been dealing with back spasms that have limited him to just 13 games on the year. He missed four games in January due to the issue before playing sparingly vs. TCU and at Baylor. A solid contributor to open the season, he’s played a combined 26 minutes in his last seven games, ten coming in the team’s home win vs. Harvard on Dec. 22.

After a good practice Thursday, Rice is expected to suit up vs. Kentucky.

“MJ, I have seen nothing at least yesterday that would lead you to believe that he can not participate because he was full-go yesterday,” Self said Friday.

The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 3.2 points per game on 47.1% shooting this season. He had two games of 10-plus points the first month of the year before the back flare-ups ramped up.

Elsewhere, redshirt freshman Kyle Cuffe is working his way back from a torn MCL and PCL, injuries he suffered prior to the Champions Classic. Out since Nov. 10, his original timeline for return was 10-12 weeks, putting him back on the floor in March.

The 6-foot-2 freshman out of Harlem has played just two games this season, and according to Self, he’s still working toward a return to live action — though practice is going well.

“Kyle is doing pretty well,” Self said. “He is not back yet but he is doing pretty well. He is actually practicing in a limited capacity.”

Senior forward Cam Martin is the last of the injured Jayhawks, with the 6-foot-9, 230-pounder dealing with a lingering shoulder injury suffered earlier in the season. He’s back on the practice floor, but he won’t be ready to suit up in an actual game anytime soon. Like Cuffe, Martin is out Saturday vs. Kentucky.

“Cam actually practiced in a limited capacity yesterday, but he is not at full speed, nor do we anticipate him being a full go for a while,” Self said.

One in, two out among banged-up Kansas players. As for the rest of the rotation, the Jayhawks are coming in at full strength. Four available players score at least 10 points per contest, headlined by standout wings Jalen Wilson (21.4 PPG) and Gradey Dick (14.9 PPG). Kevin McCullar Jr. and K.J. Adams Jr. also average 10.4 PPG apiece to round out double-digit scorers, followed by starting point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. with 7.2 PPG.

All five players average at least 27 minutes per contest, with Bobby Pettiford Jr. (15.1 MPG) and Joseph Yesufu (12.3 MPG) making up the other rotation pieces.

Kansas isn’t totally healthy, but it’s not far off full strength — and it doesn’t hurt to have a five-star freshman back close to 100%.