College basketball teams receive extended breaks during the season's early stages and nonconference play. But when league games begin, squads usually play twice a week, and Kansas basketball has fallen victim to the tough Big 12 schedule.
For the first time since the days leading into the conference opener against TCU after defeating Wichita State, the Jayhawks had a six-day rest between games. Many players needed that rest, especially star guard Kevin McCullar, who re-injured his knee during KU's last contest.
The team headed home on Feb. 17 after picking up a ranked win over Oklahoma on the road and now has consecutive home games vs. Texas tomorrow and BYU on Tuesday. Junior forward KJ Adams spoke of the importance of this home stretch during his press conference yesterday.
“Being home for almost two weeks is huge for us,” Adams said. “We haven’t had a stretch like this for a while.”
“I feel more refreshed,” he continued. “I feel like I have my legs back a little bit. I know the guys feel the same way. I think everybody’s pretty back and just ready for this game against Texas.”
While Adams might feel refreshed, the same cannot be said about McCullar. Head coach Bill Self didn't sound too optimistic about his status for the Texas game when he spoke with reporters.
“No, I do not ,” Self told the media. “He hasn’t done anything yet this week. So we’ll probably wait and see if he’s able to do anything today. Today will probably determine if he plays on Saturday as much as anything. But I probably won’t tell you guys that.”
“We’re taking this final stretch one game at a time obviously,” Coach Self later said. “But these next two at home are a must-win. Holding serve at home is really important.”