Kansas Star Will Miss NCAA Tournament, Prepare For Bracket Chaos

Kansas basketball star Kevin McCullar Jr. is out for the entire NCAA Tournament.

The ultra-talented guard missed the Big 12 tournament and some regular season games with a knee injury, and there had been hope from fans that he'd be ready to roll for March Madness and the tournament.

It's simply not going to happen. Head coach Bill Self announced Tuesday that McCullar is being held out for the entire tournament because his pain simply isn't going away.

Even if the Jayhawks make the Sweet 16, fans still won't see McCullar on the court. You can check out Self's unfortunate announcement below.

Kansas star Kevin McCullar Jr. will miss the NCAA Tournament.

This is really bad news for the Jayhawks and brackets should be adjusted accordingly. Kansas went 1-4 in the team's last five games, and one of the best players in the country and Kansas' leading scorer won't be on the floor for the entire tournament.

Kansas plays Samford in the first round and will then play the winner of Gonzaga/McNeese in the second round. I don't have Kansas making the Sweet 16 in any of the three brackets I filled out.

The team has no momentum and is missing its leading scorer. Gonzaga appears to be the play when it comes to picking a Sweet 16 team out of those four.

McCullar averages 18.3 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game and 4.1 assists per game. That's a ton of production to lose during the most important time of year.

Kansas star Kevin McCullar Jr. will miss the entire NCAA Tournament. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Jayhawks are currently -7.5 favorites against Samford, and certainly still have enough firepower to win that game. However, things could get very dicey in the next round. I'd suggest taking a hard look at your brackets! Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com how far you expect Kansas to go without McCullar in the lineup!