The Kevin McCullar Situation 😬

• 😬 The Kevin McCullar Situation 

• 🔥 Hot VIP KU Hoops Scoop

• 🏀 NBA Jayhawks Trending Up

• 📝 Quick Links: KU Football Spring Showcase

Support The Hearings by sending this to KU friends and fam.

Was this forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

EVERYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS BASED UPON WHAT I AM HEARING FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS FOR FACT OR FOR ACTUAL JOURNALISM, WHICH HAS VERIFICATION STANDARDS THAT I HAVE NOT ADHERED TO. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT.

There’s frustration right now around KU with the Kevin McCullar injury situation.

The Context: After KU’s game against Texas, Bill Self put McCullar’s status in question for the rest of the season with a bone bruise. On Monday, Self went further and said McCullar “wouldn’t be worth a crap in the NCAA Tournament” if he doesn’t return before then.

This situation isn’t all that simple. Yes, these things generally work themselves out (he’ll probably make it back). Still, KU and McCullar are running out of time to get comfortable before the postseason. I think the two parties have a long way to go.

I’ve Heard from sources that KU’s frustration stems from all parties (McCullar’s camp and KU) being fully confident he was ready to play vs. Oklahoma — and then it changed one game later.

• There was a consensus that McCullar was physically ready to play vs. Oklahoma on Feb. 17.

  • Bill Self wouldn’t have played McCullar 35 minutes vs. the Sooners without everyone being fully confident he was ready to go. I believe KU had a hard green light for the OU game.

  • McCullar was rusty. He shot 4-14 with three turnovers vs. the Sooners, which continued a downward shooting trend over his previous five games.

    • These aren’t the kind of performances that help your draft stock.

      • In fairness, McCullar’s draft stock matters a ton. The stakes are life-changing for him, and KU wants him to go as high as possible.

• Self didn’t mention any re-aggravation of the injury immediately following the Oklahoma game.

• But during Hawk Talk just two days later, Self said McCullar did tweak his knee again vs. OU: “This is gonna be something he deals with probably for the rest of the year.”

  • The quote doesn’t read like Self thought there was a chance McCullar could miss the rest of the season.

  • Barring any significant re-injury, minor “tweaks” while playing with a bone bruise are fairly expected, as I understand it.

• So McCullar was ready to go vs. OU, had a bad game, tweaked the knee, and then couldn’t go vs. Texas the following Saturday.

  • After talking to enough people, I’m confident in saying this whole sequence has been unusual.

• McCullar’s change in availability has led to some internal frustration.

• To be clear: Kansas won’t push McCullar to play if he isn’t comfortable going. It puts the staff in a weird position, though. KU basically has to wait until McCullar makes the call that he’s comfortable enough to play.

And it seems like Self has drawn a line as to when that decision has to be made.

The Big One is Finally Happening 😈

I dropped a major VIP scoop earlier this week that KU basketball fans are gonna love. This is gonna be one of the biggest games in the history of Allen Fieldhouse.

To be transparent: VIP scoops are on the earlier side of Hearing things. For example, this scoop is planned, but I don’t know if it’s all signed and sealed.

And yes, I’m asking for money to read that scoop. It helps support the time and expense of running KUHearings. I’m hopeful to share this scoop with everyone soon, but I’m not 100% sure when I’ll be confident enough to do so. You can upgrade here or via the button below.

KU’s Young NBAers deserve a major shoutout.

🏀 Gradey Dick has scored 18 points in his last two games for the Raptors. On Monday night, he was 7-9 from the field and 4-4 from three. This is huge Dick news as the rookie really struggled earlier in the year.

Check out these highlights 👇

🏀 Dick’s Toronto teammate Ochai Agbaji is starting to come alive as well. He’s scored 14 and 13 points in his last two games for the Raptors.

 🏀 Jalen Wilson has been hot-and-cold for the Nets this year. He’s played double-digit minutes in five of seven games this month and is averaging 5.5 points in that span. They’re giving him a chance and hopefully he makes the most of it.

Ready for the Underdog Fantasy Squad Ride?! 🚗

Here’s what I’m eyeing for tonight’s game. It pays out 5x with KUHearings’ sponsor Underdog Fantasy.

Reminder: You’ll receive a 100% deposit match up to $100 if you use Promo Code “SCOOP” to sign up!

3 quickies for KU fans!

🏈 KU football announced its “Spring Showcase” on Tuesday morning. The game will be at Rock Chalk Park on Friday, April 12.

🏀 On Monday, Bill Self said McCullar has become an assistant coach for the Jayhawks. A lot of local outlets covered the quote as a compliment to McCullar. I personally don’t think Self meant it that way 😂

🏀 The Could be Wrong show returns after the immaculate weekend in Lawrence! We go deep on McCullar and recap the Inaugural Hearings Hangout. Listen on Spotify, Apple, and watch on YouTube!