Ineffective in return Haywood (COVID-19 protocol) returned to action in Tuesday's 67-64 loss to Memphis, though he was held scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting across 15 minutes of action. Impact Haywood missed a Dec. 29 contest against SMU, so the last time he played would have been when he recorded a double-double Dec. 16 against Alcorn State. While the recent absence was described as being due to health and safety protocols, it was never disclosed whether or not the senior guard tested positive. Regardless of whether that's the case, there appeared to be some conditioning issues in play here, as Haywood started but still saw one of his lowest minutes totals of the season. He also committed three turnovers and three personal fouls without scoring a single point. Sam Griffin and Darien Jackson ended up seeing more run off the bench in his stead, though neither were particularly effective. Haywood's next chance to turn things around will be Saturday at UCF.
JANUARY 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE