Injured KU forward Perry Ellis will return to the court against Baylor in Friday’s Big 12 tournament semifinal game, KU coach Bill Self said during pregame interviews.

Ellis, who has missed the Jayhawks’ last two games with a knee injury, will likely replace Jamari Traylor in the starting lineup, Self said. It’s possible Landen Lucas will start, but he’s been also battling an assortment of hip and knee injuries.

“He’s going to play,” Self said of Ellis. “He could have played yesterday (against TCU). That was more my call than his. Today it was his call. He said, ‘Coach, I’m ready, let’s do this.’ We’ll probably start him, get him out there and see how he feels right off the bat. He seems excited. He looked good in workouts this morning.”

Of Lucas, Self said: “I thought Landen gave us some great minutes (vs. TCU). We throw him into a starting position. He plays 33 minutes (at Oklahoma, 24 vs. TCU). His body is worn out right now. He came up big for us.”

KU plays Baylor at 6 p.m. Friday at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.