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KJ Adams wound up playing his final game for Kansas basketball on Thursday night, and it ended in devastating fashion. The 6-foot-7 forward suffered a non-contact injury in an NCAA Tournament Round of 64 matchup versus Arkansas and immediately grabbed his Achilles area. He was helped off the floor and exited to the locker room, via ESPN's Jeff Borzello, clearly unable to return to the game.
The immediate fear is that Adams tore his Achilles, which would obviously hit fans hard. Head coach Bill Self said it is indeed an Achilles injury but is hoping for the best, per Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports.
This player is arguably the glue of the program, so seeing him denied the chance to end his college career on his own terms is heartbreaking. Kansas imploded following his departure, committing one turnover after another en route to a 79-72 loss to the Razorbacks.
Adams finished finished with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, four rebounds and one steal in 32 minutes. When he left the contest, the Jayhawks were in the midst of a 12-2 run and led 67-64 with 3:10 remaining on the clock. They proceeded to unravel, and Arkansas took advantage. John Calipari's squad made 10 free throws in the final two and a half minutes, showing great discipline after succumbing to its own second-half missteps.
Kansas' 2025 NCAA Tournament experience quickly and harshly ends
Razorbacks big man Jonas Aidoo led all scorers with 22 points and Trevon Brazile tallied a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. Kasnas' Zeke Mayo posted a team-high 18 points to go with six boards and two steals, while AJ Storr added 15 points off the bench. Legendary Jayhawks HC Bill Self might struggle to raise his team's spirits after this one.
Apart from being eliminated in the NCAA Tournament, which is the first time in more than a decade and a half that Kansas has lost in the opening round, this group must come to grips with the brutal news surrounding its injured brother. KJ Adams averaged only 9.2 points this season, but he finished the campaign strong. The 22-year-old scored 15 points or more in four of his last seven contests and could have hit that mark again if he did not leave Thursday's showdown early.
Adams has experienced a multitude of memories in Lawrence, winning a national championship as a freshman in 2022 and earning Big 12 Most Improved Player honors the following year. This woefully disappointing ending will not alter the impact Adams had on Kansas basketball. Prayers are with him as he awaits an official diagnosis.
