The Kansas basketball staff is still trying to fill at least one of its two remaining scholarships in the class of 2016, and it looks like they took one more step toward bringing in Mississippi State transfer Malik Newman.

Newman, who played under Ben Howland last year in Starkville, will be visiting Kansas this Tuesday per Matt Scott of TheShiver.com. Scott was the first to break the news on Twitter.

Newman featured in 29 games last season for the Bulldogs, where he averaged 11.3 points and 2 assists per game. Coming out of high school, Newman was a McDonald’s All-American and a unanimous top 10 recruit.

The questions about Newman’s academics, as we’ve alluded to in previous tweets and posts, are still valid – however, the staff has a full year to get him on track. Keeping a player focused in the classroom for a year in which they’re unable to play could be a challenge, but the staff has had success with those kind of issues in the past. Both Jamari Traylor and Ben McLemore were in good academic shape during their ineligible year.

Bringing Newman in for a visit will end the speculation of whether or not the staff has been interested in Newman since he announced his intention to leave Starkville.

Mississippi State transfer Malik Newman will visit Kansas starting on Tuesday #kubball — Matt Scott (@KUTheShiver) June 25, 2016

If Kansas were to land Newman, it provides some cover against a few things going against them for the 2017-2018 season. One, if Devonte Graham elects to leave Lawrence early to turn pro and two, if Kansas is unable to land its top point guard targets – notably Trae Young. Getting a talented guard like Newman, who is capable of playing both on and off the ball, on the roster now would be a great step in the right direction for what should be a big 2017 class.

Newman has had his issues so far in college basketball, but Self hasn’t had a talent like him in the backcourt since Sherron Collins was in Lawrence. For all the problems Newman has had, and could potentially bring, getting him would be an excellent move by the Kansas staff.