Notebook: Cheick Diallo sits out Big 12 Tournament opener

Kansas forward Jamari Traylor, forward Cheick Diallo and the rest of the Jayhawks take the court for warmups, Thursday, March 10, 2016 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City, Mo. ? Kansas freshman forward Cheick Diallo did not play in the Jayhawks’ postseason debut, an 85-63 win over rival Kansas State Thursday at Sprint Center.

Diallo took an accidental elbow from Svi Mykhailiuk in practice on Wednesday and had a three-stitch cut on the inside of his mouth. His mouth was swollen on Thursday for the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal.

“He got hit in practice. He had to leave practice to get stitches,” Self said. “The swelling has gone down. This morning it was really out there. He could have played. I thought if he got hit it’d knock him out for at least the rest of the deal (tournament). Hopefully the swelling will go down and he’ll have more confidence being out there tomorrow.”

Diallo said: “It’s OK. I’ve taken a lot of medicine (for pain). Of course it hurts. He didn’t do it on purpose. I’ll be able to play tomorrow.”

Clyde’s passing: Self on Clyde Lovellette, who died on Wednesday:

“I had the opportunity to speak with Clyde, I believe it was Friday. He and his daughter. Of course, I didn’t see him play (in 1950s) and all these things. But you know, at one time, you can review it as the two best big men in the world (played at KU). And certainly it’s a loss. But when you really break it down, Olympic champion, national champion, leading scorer in the country, a great pro and probably did as much as a pioneer in the game to create interest and things like that as just about anybody else did. It’s certainly a loss, but I hope all Kansas fans look bak and appreciate the significance in what he’s done for not only himself, his family, but also our school.”

Minutes: Nine Jayhawks played 10 or more minutes vs. K-State.

“I still played guys too many (minutes),” Self said. “It’s hard to take those two little guys (Frank Mason III, 32 minutes; Devonté Graham 34 minutes) out. They don’t get tired that often. I tried to manage it more today. I wanted Carlton (Bragg Jr., 11 minutes) to play more. If Carlton hadn’t fouled out, and Jamari (Traylor, 14 minutes) not been in foul trouble, they’d have played more.”

— See what people were saying about KU’s quarterfinal vs. rival K-State during KUsports.com’s live coverage