The Kansas basketball team finished nonconference play relatively unscathed. A couple of players fought through minor ailments at some point, but most did not struggle to stay on the floor. Offseason acquisition Shakeel Moore has even returned and appears to be 100% healthy.
During yesterday’s blowout win over Brown, wing Rylan Griffen collided with a Bears player face-first in the second half. He did not return to the contest and needed attention from the KU medical staff. While Griffen is expected to be fine, another fellow Jayhawk is dealing with an injury that could hold him out for an extended period.
Zach Clemence had a "significant" groin pull and could be out "a while", per Bill Self. #KUbball
— Michael Swain (@MSwain247) December 22, 2024
Zach Clemence to miss time after suffering groin injury
After the game, Bill Self spoke to reporters about Griffen’s collision. He joked about how his family would give him extra sympathy during the holiday weekend but confirmed it was nothing serious. On the other hand, Self noted that junior forward Zach Clemence had suffered a groin injury a few days prior.
“Zach pulled his groin pretty significantly about three days ago,” Self said. “So, he’s going to be out and may be out a while. We don’t know yet. It’s more significant. Sometimes those groin come, and you come back too early, and you’re going to tweak it again more likely. So, we’ll wait and see how it responds after Christmas.”
A native of San Antonio, Texas, Clemence is coming off a redshirt season at Kansas. He spent the first two years of his college career in Lawrence before entering his name into the transfer portal in 2023. Despite committing to UC Santa Barbara, he told Coach Self he wanted to return to Kansas and maintain a year of eligibility.
Clemence did not play yesterday as a result of the injury. It sounds like his absence could extend deep into Big 12 play. In eight appearances this season, Clemence is averaging 1.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists on 44.4% field goal shooting, serving as the fourth big man behind Hunter Dickinson, KJ Adams, and Flory Bidunga.