NORMAN, Oklahoma — Kevin McCullar Jr. didn’t hit shots Saturday with the same regularity he usually has.

McCullar, a graduate senior guard, finished 4-for-14 from the field and 2-for-8 from behind the arc. He even missed his lone two free-throw attempts. Add on the fact he didn’t dish out any assists, and in many ways it was a forgettable game for him offensively.

But in addition to what McCullar provided on the defensive end, he still hit one of the most pivotal shots in his first game back after an injury-fueled, two-game absence. With about nine minutes remaining in the second half, he connected on a 3-pointer that put the Jayhawks up 49-46 and gave them the lead for good. As coach Bill Self mentioned postgame, they don’t win 67-57 in a top-25 matchup on the road against the Oklahoma Sooners without him.

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“I thought he was definitely out of sorts, out of rhythm, but he played within himself and we don’t win the game unless he plays,” Self said. “I mean, the kid gets — what’d he get? Still gets 10 points or whatever it was? And eight rebounds. And made arguably as big a shot as we had in the game.”

Kansas doesn’t need McCullar back so it can be a tournament team. As a top 10 program, the Jayhawks are already there. But they do need him to contend for the Big 12 Conference’s regular season and tournament titles, and a national championship as well.

McCullar, despite not having a perfect performance at Oklahoma, is still the lead scoring option for Kansas — alongside senior center Hunter Dickinson. He’s still a lead defender for the Jayhawks — alongside redshirt senior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. He’s an All-America candidate and potential first round NBA draft pick for a reason.

McCullar will have some time following Saturday’s win against Oklahoma to get healthier and develop more of that rhythm. There’s a week between it and Kansas’ next game, at home against Texas. But even if he’s not at 100%, he’s still a valuable presence to have on the court that can be the difference for the Jayhawks as they continue to strive toward their goals.

“He’s still going through some stuff,” Harris said about McCullar. “But he’s been fighting. He’s a tough player. So, we trust him and coach and them trust him, too. So, we’ve just got to keep him, his head, up high. Because he’s going through something right now, an injury. So — he’s going to be all right, though. This whole week he’s going to probably get treatment and he should be back 100% by Saturday’s game.”

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kevin McCullar Jr.'s return helps guide Kansas basketball to win at OU