Mar 06, 2015 04:24 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Bill Self is holding onto the hope that NCAA will wrap up its investigation of Cliff Alexander, his team's center/forward, in time for the start of the Big 12 Tournament.

The coach of the Kansas Jayhawks told ESPN recently, "Hopefully, the NCAA can make a ruling by" March 11, the first day of the conference's tournament. Alexander, a six-foot-eight forward/center is averaging about seven points and five rebounds per game and has missed Kansas' last two games due to the investigation.

Yahoo Sports first reported the NCAA's inquiry Thursday, citing unnamed sources. The NCAA has apparently not disclosed the investigation, but is reportedly talking to members of Alexander's family about potentially impermissible contact from and NBA agent.

Kansas' athletic director Sheahon Zenger has said Alexander will be held out until the matter is settled. The school said in late Feb. that Alexander would not be playing for an "NCAA issue," declining to elaborate.

Kansas won those two games - against Texas and Wes Virginia - without Alexander, but the latter was a bittersweet victory. Beating West Virginia locked up the Jayhawks' 11th consecutive conference regular season title, but forward Perry Ellis also injured his right knee.

Ellis will sit out Kansas' regular season finale against Oklahoma and his status for the postseason is unclear, but Self is optimistic.

"It wasn't anything serious," Self told ESPN at the time. "He'll probably miss a week."

But in the worst-case scenario, if Alexander is ruled ineligible and Ellis needs to miss more time, Kansas will be down two big men.

Mike Oliver coached Alexander at Curie High School in Chicago when the freshman was a five-star recruit. He told Yahoo Sports he met with his former player before the "NCAA issue" arose.

"I knew something wasn't right," Oliver said. "He just wasn't Cliff."

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