Will Hunter Dickinson play in the NCAA Tournament? Injury status for Kansas Jayhawks star

Star Kansas basketball transfer Hunter Dickinson had managed to stay healthy all year until the regular season finale against Houston. Midway through the second half, the 7-foot-2 big man dislocated his shoulder, putting his status for the conference and NCAA tournaments in doubt.

Through 31 games in the 2023-24 season, Dickinson is averaging 18.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in his first campaign in Lawrence. He was selected to the All-Big 12 First Team and won Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. If he were to miss March Madness, Bill Self and the 22-10 Jayhawks would miss the team's most valuable player.

Dickinson underwent MRI testing one day after his injury to reveal the severity of his dislocation. Coach Self would later tell the media whether he would play in the first round of the tournament and when he would begin resuming basketball activities.

Will Hunter Dickinson play in the NCAA Tournament?

According to Self, Hunter Dickinson will play in the NCAA Tournament after dislocating his shoulder and missing the Big 12 Tournament. This is what he told reporters earlier this week.

"The good news is that he should be practicing full speed by the start of next week, so he'll be available to us with the NCAA Tournament," Self said. "And not only available, but he should be fine. I mean, he'll be conditioning and doing non-contact basketball stuff by Thursday or Friday."

While he has not built on his words since making those comments, Coach Self suggested he would be back close to 100% by the tournament. The medical staff found positive news from his MRI, and missing the Big 12 Tournament was merely a way to let Dickinson and fellow KU star Kevin McCullar rest up before March Madness.

The Kansas basketball team now awaits Selection Sunday after Cincinnati eliminated them from the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday.