Kansas guard Shakeel Moore was hoping to play in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals against Arizona, but he never got into the game.
Coach Bill Self explained why on Tuesday, saying, “If you throw him in there and it doesn’t go well, you might lose him for the season.” Instead, Self preferred to give Moore a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament but admitted, “We just don’t know yet.”
As Kansas gears up for its first-round matchup against Arkansas on Thursday night, Moore’s status remains “day to day.” Self said Moore practiced a bit last Friday and Saturday but did less on Tuesday. “I’d like to see him get out there,” Self said. “Hopefully, he can do some work tomorrow and be available.”
Moore has been dealing with an ankle injury since the offseason. He missed the start of the season and recently aggravated it again, keeping him out for the past month. When he was at his best in January, he brought defensive intensity and athleticism that helped KU play some of its best basketball. Self even credited Moore for pushing point guard Dajuan Harris to elevate his game.
But as February went on, Moore’s impact faded, and he eventually fell out of the rotation. Even though he declared himself “definitely available” at the Big 12 tournament, his main goal has been staying healthy for March Madness while also thinking about his professional future.
Kansas could really use a healthy Moore against Arkansas, especially to help defend their guards. He, along with Hunter Dickinson and Rylan Griffen, didn’t play in KU’s exhibition game against Arkansas back in October, when Razorbacks guards Boogie Fland and D.J. Wagner torched the Jayhawks for a combined 46 points.
“If he’s close to 100%, it gives us a better chance athletically,” Self said. Arkansas has big, strong, fast guards, and while Moore isn’t the tallest, he can hold his own physically.
If Moore plays in the NCAA Tournament, it’ll be his first time on the court since KU’s loss at BYU on Feb. 18. He’s averaging 3.8 points per game, with his best performance coming at TCU on Jan. 22, when he scored 11.
