Kansas‘ Tre White is available against No. 5 Iowa State, but the lead-up to this one has been strange.
Head coach Bill Self shared this week that White had an infected root canal taken care of, which has kept him out of team activities for a bit. Self noted that White practiced yesterday, but other than that, he “had not done much at all” over the last several days.
That is not exactly how you want to prep for Iowa State.
White is a key piece of this Kansas Jayhawks roster, averaging 14.2 points, seven rebounds, and two assists per game. He can score without hijacking possessions, rebound in traffic, and defend multiple spots. When he is steady, Kansas looks balanced.
So yes, he is active, but there is a difference between being available and being sharp.
A week without meaningful work in the middle of conference play matters. Rhythm and timing are real. Especially against a team like Iowa State that fights every possession, whether it’s on defense or offense.
Now the question becomes just how quickly he can get his legs under him. Kansas may not need him to score 25 with Darryn Peterson out there, but they do need him to look like himself.
It has been an unusual week, no doubt, but if White can give Kansas solid minutes against a Top-Five team, that says a lot about where this group stands as the February gauntlet continues to roll on.
