Joel Embiid's back will keep him out of the Kansas Jayhawks' final two games of the regular season and could hold him out of part of the Big 12 tournament.

Coach Bill Self told ESPN his starting center will not play against Texas Tech or West Virginia because experts have said rest is the best way to treat Embiid's back. The last time it gave the big man trouble, he had a full week of rest and played healthy for three games before hurting it again.

"I think he could return for the Big 12 tournament," Self said. "But it shouldn't impact the NCAA tournament."

The Feb. 15 road game against TCU was the last game Embiid missed due to his back, but Kansas won handily 95-65. He played in the next three games and Kansas beat Texas Tech, Texas and Oklahoma to clinch their 10th straight Big 12 regular season title.

After re-injuring his back March 1 against Oklahoma State in the second half, he sat out the rest of the game and Kansas lost.

"We've... spoken with experts with this particular injury and have been told the same thing we were told before, rest is the best remedy," Self said in a statement.

Embiid is a seven-foot center from Cameroon and has not played basketball as long as some of his teammates. Still, he is averaging 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game, generating enough buzz to potentially be a very high NBA lottery draft pick.

His presence in the low post attracts the offense away from fellow freshman and another highly touted NBA Draft prospect, Andrew Wiggins, as well as perimeter players like Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden Jr.

"It should not be an injury that keeps him out for the rest of the season," Self said in the statement. "Last time he was off five days and that worked very nicely for him and he was able to come back and be 100 percent."