Bill Self addresses health of Kevin McCullar Jr., Bobby Pettiford Jr. ahead of KU vs. ISU

LAWRENCE — Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self has been amazed at how tough his team’s schedule is for weeks, and Saturday it continues with a road game against Iowa State.

Self, whose No. 8 Jayhawks beat the No. 13 Cyclones earlier this season, thinks it is good for the Big 12 Conference that the league is this good. He thinks it is good for the fans, too. But he can’t remember a stretch like this before since taking over at Kansas (18-4, 6-3 in Big 12) ahead of the 2003-04 season.

Here are a handful of things to think about ahead of the scheduled 11 a.m. tip-off in Ames, Iowa, against Iowa State (15-6, 6-3 in Big 12):

Bill Self expects Bobby Pettiford Jr., Kevin McCullar Jr. to play

Self said Thursday that although he didn’t think sophomore guard Bobby Pettiford Jr. (hamstring) and redshirt senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (finger) would practice that day, he did think the two would be available for the game — if nothing changes. McCullar is a starter, and Pettiford a member of the rotation, so they’re both valuable pieces to have. All in all, it’s good news for the Jayhawks.

It’s also even better news, because of the fact that Kansas is already down three scholarship players. Freshman forward Zuby Ejiofor is probably a couple weeks away from returning for the Jayhawks, according to Self. And Self noted neither super-senior forward Cam Martin nor redshirt freshman guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. are close to 100%.

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MJ Rice’s potential to play remains unclear

Jayhawks freshman guard MJ Rice has missed time this season because of an injury that can cause him to have back spasms. It’s why, at halftime of the win against Kansas State this week, Self said Rice told him he couldn’t play. But while Self hopes Rice can be an asset for them moving forward, it’s unclear when Rice might be 100% again.

Rice, who did play the three games before the KSU matchup, is routinely getting treatment. It appears he’s going to continue to practice, because Self said they aren’t going to rest him. But while Self noted there isn’t some procedure they’re waiting until after this season to have Rice undergo, to Self’s knowledge, Self also wasn’t sure if Rice just needs time before the injury isn’t having this effect on Rice’s availability.

Iowa State is capable of winning this game

Iowa State nearly beat Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, and the rematch will be in front of the Cyclones’ faithful. Self described Iowa State senior guard Caleb Grill as a serious threat to make 3s, and senior guard Gabe Kalscheur as one of the Big 12’s best players. Self praised Cyclones freshman guard Tamin Lipsey for being as talented as anyone Lipsey’s size — 6-foot-1, 200 pounds — at offensive rebounding.

Jayhawks sophomore forward Zach Clemence would add that although Iowa State has lost recently, he still feels like the Cyclones are playing with a lot of momentum. He meant that offensively and defensively. And regarding the former, he thinks Kansas is going to have to move the ball well.

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Bill Self anticipates a great atmosphere

After Self joked about Hilton Coliseum being quiet Saturday because of how early tip-off is, he acknowledged how great he expects the atmosphere is going to be. He added it always is great. And he called it one of the best places to play in the Big 12.

“I think we like that,” said Clemence, referring to playing in front of a crowd like Iowa State's. “I think we like when the whole fans come there and cheer like that and boo at us. I think that really gets us going.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Bill Self addresses health of Kevin McCullar Jr., Bobby Pettiford Jr.