Kansas Forward’s Injury Among Many Impacting NCAA Tournament

Jayhawks senior forward K.J. Adams was among several players whose injuries have factored into early tournament results.

K.J. Adams Jr. of Kansas is helped off the court after injuring his Achilles in the second half of an NCAA Tournament game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I., on March 20, 2025. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Kansas suffered a big loss late besides a season-ending defeat against Arkansas when senior forward K.J. Adams Jr. went down with an injury on Thursday, and it was one of many injuries that impacted the NCAA tournament’s first round.

“Well … it’s an Achilles,” Kansas head coach Bill Self told reporters after a 79–72 loss. “So we’ll hold off on exactly what the technical diagnosis is until we run all the tests, but it’s probably not good. So the last play of his career could potentially knock you out another year. That’s pretty sad.”

Adams, who could go to the NBA next season, will have to wait around a year to play instead. A 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward, Adams had a solid four-year career with the Jayhawks with 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. Self didn’t want to talk about his team as much because of Adams’s injury.

“We had a kid in there who was really hurting with his family,” Self said. “Now is not the time to talk about that stuff. Let’s worry about your teammate right now.”

Adams exiting the game affected the Jayhawks, who had a 67–64 lead with 3:14 left as Arkansas rallied with a layup by senior guard Boogie Fland to cut the lead to 67–66. Razorbacks senior forward Jonas Aidoo drew a foul on an offensive rebound and hit two free throws to put his team ahead to stay, 68–67. Arkansas finished the game on an 11–5 run.

The Razorbacks got a boost from Fland, who returned from a thumb injury. He finished with six points, three assists, and three steals off the bench.

But Arkansas played without junior forward Adou Thiero, who injured his knee and averaged 15.6 points and six rebounds per game going into the tournament. Razorbacks head coach John Calipari didn’t overpromise on Thiero’s status for the second round against No. 2 seed St. John’s on Saturday.

“If you ask me, I mean, the kid will try to convince me,” Calipari told reporters on Thursday. “You gotta be able to go in there and help and Boogie was able to do it, but I have seen crazier things.”

Louisville similarly lost a key player in senior guard Reyne Smith on Thursday when he re-injured his ankle against Creighton in an 89–75 loss. Smith’s injury occurred with 11:37 left in the game in his attempt to return from an ankle injury in the regular season, which left him sidelined for the ACC tournament.

“Our heart goes out to Reyne,” Cardinals senior guard Terrence Edwards told reporters afterward. “We knew he wasn’t 100 percent, but what he did today is something I'll remember forever.”

“He sacrificed his body and put his body on the line tonight for us, so we could try to come out with the win. He knew how much we needed him,” Edwards added. “I’m just so proud of him, and he'll get back right for sure. What he did for us today is something that will go a long way outside of basketball.”

Smith had just five points on 1-5 shooting when he left the game, and the Cardinals had a way to climb at that point, facing a 65–52 deficit. Edwards had 21 points for Louisville, and senior guard Chucky Hepburn added 22 points in the loss.

Creighton had freshman guard Fedor Zugic back from an ankle injury. Zugic played 12 minutes and chipped in four points, a rebound, and two assists. The Bluejays will have him again on Saturday against No. 1 seed Auburn.

Memphis had challenges without senior guard Tyrese Hunter on Friday due to a foot injury in a 78–70 loss to Colorado State. Hunter averaged 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game before the tournament.

For Alabama, Crimson Tide senior forward Grant Nelson battled through a knee injury as he helped his team hold off upset-minded Robert Morris on Friday, 90–81. Iowa State junior forward Tamin Lipsey, dealing with a groin issue, chipped in 10 points in his team’s 82–55 route of Lipscomb on Friday, but the Cyclones will still be missing senior guard Keshon Gilbert due to his muscle strain for the tournament.

Similar to Lipsey, freshman forward Cooper Flagg’s high-profile return to Duke after an ankle injury made a difference, but the team had little trouble with Mount St. Mary’s in a 93–49 blowout on Friday. However, the Blue Devils will have to press on without junior guard Maliq Brown indefinitely due to a dislocated shoulder.

Texas Tech got a boost with Darrion Williams back from a foot injury in an 82–72 win over UNC-Wilmington, but the Red Raiders had Chance McMillian sitting out due to an upper body injury. Lastly, Houston had J’Wan Roberts back from an ankle injury, but the Cougars rolled in a 78–40 demolition of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.