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.”