Joel Embiid won’t play in either of the first two games this weekend in the NCAA Tournament.
“He’s not going to play,” Kansas coach Bill Self told KansasCity.com. “I’m not saying there couldn’t be a miraculous act occur, but we’re certainly not planning on that or expecting that.”
Kansas is the No. 2 seed in the South and opens against Eastern Kentucky on Friday afternoon.
The 7-foot Embiid, a projected top-3 pick in the NBA Draft, hasn’t played since March 1 with a back injury.
He’s now out until at least the Sweet 16 in Memphis.
“He’s doing really well,” Self said. “We’ve told him that we were not going to put him on the practice floor until he does really, really well in rehab. And that’s what the doctors told us, and that’s what we were going to do all along.
“He’s not far away from being out there in some form or fashion, but probably not contact.”
