Shorthanded Kansas Jayhawks ready to run vs. Cincinnati: ‘Just play fast. Let it go’

Kansas enters the 2024 Big 12 Tournament with just seven scholarship players available to play in an event that would require four wins in four days for the Jayhawks to clip the nets.

Amid low expectations for a No. 6-seeded team that will meet No. 11-seed Cincinnati (8:30 p.m., Wednesday at T-Mobile Center) without injured first-team all-league selections Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar, the Jayhawks (22-9, 10-8) are apparently embracing a carefree, “let’s have fun” attitude entering the contest.

McCullar (bone bruise, left knee) and Dickinson (dislocated right shoulder), who have combined to average 36.3 points a game so far this season, are expected to be back next week for the NCAA Tournament, coach Bill Self said.

However their absence obviously hurts the outlook for KU in this upcoming event.

“I mean that’s what Coach was preaching all day today at practice — ‘just play fast, let it go,’” said KU senior guard Nick Timberlake, who will start next to fellow guards Dajuan Harris, Johnny Furphy and Elmarko Jackson, as well as 6-foot-7 big man KJ Adams. The two scholarship reserves are guard Jamari McDowell and forward Parker Braun.

“I mean it’ll take playing fast, faster than the other team. We’re going to obviously be smaller than whoever we play. Whoever we play it’s running up and down the floor, defending, getting up in transition and getting easy baskets.”

Timberlake noted that Self “is expecting me to get up a bunch of shots. I’m pretty excited about that.”

The transfer from Towson followed a 4-of-5 3-point shooting effort in a 90-68 home win over Kansas State on March 5 with an 0-for-3 performance beyond the arc in Saturday’s 30-point loss at Houston.

If No. 16-ranked KU defeats unranked Cincy, a team the Jayhawks tripped 74-69 on Jan, 22 at Allen Fieldhouse, it would advance to Thursday’s 8:30 p.m. quarterfinals against No. 3-seed Baylor.

McCullar and Dickinson combined for 30 points in the previous meeting against the Bearcats (19-13, 7-11).

“I think this will give the bench a ton more confidence throughout this next couple days in the Big 12 tournament. Hopefully when Kevin gets back the bench is flowing like we were this upcoming week,” Timberlake said.

He is extremely confident McCullar and Dickinson will be ready for the NCAAs, which for KU will start a week from Thursday or Friday at a yet-to-be-determined location.

“I texted Hunter (Monday) as soon as I woke up. I knew he was probably with the trainer right in the morning,” Timberlake said Monday as player guest on Self’s Hawk Talk radio show. “I asked how he was feeling. He said he was already feeling better. That was great to hear.”

Dickinson had his shoulder pop out of place, then back in place, midway through the second half of Saturday’s loss at Houston. McCullar has been battling his bone bruise more than a month now.

“I think it’s more so rest for ‘Kev.’ He’s kind of an old man like me,” noted the 25-year-old Timberlake, referring to McCullar, who turns 23 on Friday. “The more rest he can get, the better for us.”

Timberlake sees big things ahead for freshmen Jackson and McDowell during the Big 12 tourney, then the NCAAs.

“Elmarko … he has the most potential out of anyone on the team. He really is super athletic, can do just about anything,” Timberlake said. “Seeing him when he’s not thinking out there has been special to see. Jamari coming in having to play 2 through 4 — when he subs for KJ, sometimes he has to guard a bigger man — it’s cool to see that, too. Definitely this week it’s going to have to all come together for us.”

If KU has any foul or injury problems against the Bearcats, one might see walk-on guards Michael Jankovich and Wilder Evers and/or big man Dillon Wilhite enter the game.

“It’s going to look a lot different. We’re going to be tiny,” Self said. “We’ll have KJ at the 5 or Parker. We’ve got our power forward in Johnny Furphy, small forward in Nick Timberlake. There’s an expression that has come from tragedy, a huge one in the Boston area: ‘Boston Tough.’ Nick will show us that,” Self added of the 6-4 Timberlake, a native of Braintree, Massachusetts.

“Elmarko will have a chance to be out there a lot. We’ve got seven scholarship players. Play smart, tough, have some fun, let the ball fly, perform at a level we’re capable of,” Self added.

Cincinnati, whose starting big man is 7-foot-0 Aziz Bandaogo, leads the Big 12 in offensive rebounds with 12.8 per game. KU is last in the league in offensive boards at 7.6 per contest. KU is second (26.1) and Cincy fourth (24.1) in defensive rebounds per game.

Self noted that going into the Big 12 tourney, “we are the least healthy we’ve been all year. It’s the least number of players we’ve had available. We should be the most healthy we’ve been in a long time when the NCAA Tournament starts. We do need our full complement of guys. From the sound of it (from team doctors), it looks like we are moving in that direction, which is more than we’ve had the last six weeks.”

Self has been told McCullar and Dickinson should be ready to practice on Monday.

“Like Coach said, we haven’t been 100% the past month or so. Obviously when we are at our best, 100%, we can beat anyone in the country. We have proven that many times this year. Don’t sleep on us,” Timberlake said.

Cincinnati advanced to the second round by defeating West Virginia 90-85 on Tuesday at T-Mobile Center. Forward Simas Lukosius hit seven 3s and scored 29 points for the Bearcats. Guard Day Day Thomas also sank seven 3s and scored 29 points, while big man Bandaogo had 13 rebounds to go with his six points.