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The second round of March Madness is upon us and we have an incredible matchup in the Midwest Region as the fifth-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the fourth-seeded Kansas Jayhawks.
With both sides dealing with some injuries, let's take a closer look at which players will be healthy enough to play and which are going to be ruled out for this game.
Gonzaga vs. Kansas basketball injuries
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Senior center Hunter Dickinson was ruled out for the Big 12 Tournament as he was dealing with a shoulder injury. Luckily for the program, Dickinson was able to recover and played in their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament against Samford.
Dickinson has done incredibly well as he plays 32.3 minutes per game and is shooting 55.3% from the floor, 34.4% from the 3-point line and 62.6% from the free-throw line. He also is putting up outstanding numbers with 18.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has been officially ruled out of the NCAA Tournament with a bone bruise in his knee. He has not practiced in six weeks and has not been able to ramp up enough to consider the option of him returning. This is a massive blow to the Jayhawks as McCullar Jr. averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Luka Krajnovic, Gonzaga
Freshman guard Luka Krajnovic suffered a hand injury during the season and was limited to only 15 games for the Bulldogs. He has been able to return, as he played in the Round of 64 against McNeese without any limitations. He averages 3.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game.
Gonzaga vs. Kansas basketball prediction
Gonzaga enters this game as 3.5-point favorites and it makes sense as they should be considered the better team, despite the seeding telling us otherwise. Without Kevin McCullar Jr., this Kansas team looks a bit lost and allowed 89 points to Samford.
Graham Ike and Anton Watson can tire Hunter Dickinson out down low and limit his production. The Bulldogs looked like the more complete team in their first-round game so go with Gonzaga to cover the spread.
