KU basketball

KU basketball forward Mitch Lightfoot's status had been day-to-day. He played in the first half of Kansas' NCAA Tournament win against Texas Southern.

Time will tell if there’s an opportunity Saturday against 9-seed Creighton, in the round of 32, for Lightfoot to make a similar play in a similar moment. Perhaps the most visible play Lightfoot made Thursday was the and-1 basket he hit, and the free throw that followed, with about four-and-half minutes left in the first half. But a bit more than five and a half minutes into the first half, Kansas up 9-4 as it worked through a slow start, Lightfoot checked in for senior forward David McCormack. Lightfoot went on to play his first of two stretches of first-half action, which would amount to 6:30 in total playing time. Lightfoot may have found himself on the Big 12’s all-tournament team had he remained healthy through that last win against Texas Tech in Kansas City. His influence on the wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals was easy to see. While there should be some understanding, considering this was the first NCAA Tournament game for both, Lightfoot providing what he could Thursday might mean Self can stop short of putting one or the other in a situation Self wouldn’t have otherwise. Lightfoot had sprained his left knee less than a week earlier, during the Jayhawks’ win in the Big 12 Conference tournament championship game March 12.