Kansas shorthanded in second half vs. Kentucky as Kevin McCullar Jr. leaves game briefly, Zuby Ejiofor out

Kansas will be shorthanded in the front court in the second half against Kentucky and star center Oscar Tshiebwe. Forward Zuby Ejiofor will be out for the second half with a rolled ankle, ESPN’s Holly Rowe reported as the second half began.

Then, less than two minutes into the second frame and with Kansas managing a lead, guard Kevin McCullar Jr. went to the bench and then the locker room. He appeared to have a lower body injury of some kind after getting fouled. He shot the free throws and then came out of the game.

After a brief trip to the locker room, he made it back to the bench and appeared able to play. Getting him back would be a big boon.

Losing Ejiofor, a forward, and potentially McCullar, a 6-foot-6 guard and one of Kansas’ main defensive weapons and a decent scorer, will make it a long road for Kansas to keep Kentucky at arm’s length for the rest of the second half.

Fortunately for the Jayhawks, McCullar was able to re-enter the game shortly after coming back from the locker room.

Bill Self assesses Kansas’ first half lead against Kentucky

Kansas-Kentucky was dubbed the primetime showdown of the Big 12/SEC Challenge, with the hype living up to it. Head coach Bill Self will see his team heading into the locker room with a seven-point lead at Rupp Arena, hoping to break a three-game losing streak. Twenty minutes of basketball are still ahead but the Jayhawks are in a good position.

Kentucky started out with all of the momentum, dominating in the early parts of the game. Self said John Calipari had his team ready to go down in the paint, doing most of their work there.

“I think we kept them out of the paint,” Self said. “I think they scored 20 of the first 22 in the paint. I think we did a better job keeping them out of the paint.”

When discussing Kentucky playing down low, the first thought immediately goes to Oscar Tshiebwe. He had not lit up the score sheet but Self is not diminishing what he has done for Kentucky. Assisting a few buckets can be just as important as getting your own.

“He’s really played better than that because he’s got three assists,” Self said on Tshiebwe’s six points. “When we’ve tried to post-trap him, it’s been ineffective. We’ve got to try to tighten that up.”