NCAA Basketball: Injury Report (Bennie Boatwright could return next week)
Jan 16, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams with forward Theo Pinson (1) in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated Syracuse Orange 85-68 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
What NCAA basketball injuries should we keep an eye on as we head into the weekend?
Significant injuries are starting to sweep through the nation like wild fires. We still have a month and change to go until conference play switches to the postseason conference tournaments, and that next step in the road to Phoenix can’t come soon enough for some teams.
Meanwhile, others have already been dealt the brunt of their blow. Ray Smith is done in Arizona. Ben Carter is done in Michigan State. Duke has dealt with injuries since the preseason practices and the Spartans have dealt with the same adversity. Also, Creighton lost their heart, soul, and engine in Maurice Watson Jr. to a torn ACL.
Obviously, teams, coaches, and players want to avoid injuries at all costs. However, it doesn’t always work like that. Some rosters will continue to get ravaged by them, while others will continue to be pristine clean.
Duke was playing with six guys just two months ago, but now the Blue Devils have all three of their freshman back (even though Harry Giles is still not 100 percent).
This is why it’s important to look at the key injuries in college hoops every week. This week, we will continue with three critical updates.
Jan 21, 2017; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Tony Hicks (1) defends Florida State Seminoles guard Trent Forrest (3) during the first half at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Tony Hicks breaks hand, out 2-4 weeks
After starting the season as a little-used role player, Penn graduate transfer Tony Hicks has molded into a critical piece to Louisville’s puzzle with starting point guard Quentin Snider out with a hip injury.
Hicks’ minutes and production have picked up since Snider went down, but now the graduate student is dealing with an injury of his own.
The guard broke his hand and while he was originally expected to miss 6-8 weeks, the updated timeline calls for him to miss 2-4.
Hicks, who broke his hand in U of L’s 106-51 rout of Pittsburgh on Tuesday, does not need surgery to repair a spiral fracture in the fourth metacarpal bone in his right hand. And, Pitino said, after Hicks consulted with two doctors and team trainer Fred Hina, he may return to action in 2-4 weeks instead of U of L’s original estimated time range of 6-8 weeks.
“It all depends on what type of healer he is,” Pitino said. “First doctor said surgery; second doctor said no.”
Without Hicks, the Cardinals are awfully thin at the guard position. Sure, Donovan Mitchell is playing out of his mind as of late, but beyond him, the Cardinals will have to count on freshman V.J. King and sharp-shooters, Ryan McMahon and David Levitch.
The good news for the Cards is that with Mitchell and Deng Adel playing better offensively, they can continue to punch teams in the mouth with their defense and rebounding.
Louisville should be just fine as long as they get both players (Hicks and Snider) back for the home stretch.
Jan 14, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Theo Pinson (1) reacts in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Seminoles 96-83 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Theo Pinson banged up again
Since returning from a broken foot that kept him out for the first 16 games of the season, Theo Pinson has had a major impact off the bench for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He brings his usual trademark energy and toughness while giving Roy Williams’ team a different dimension at the four position.
But now Pinson is banged up yet again. After hurting his ankle earlier this week against Virginia Tech, the junior forward won’t play on Saturday afternoon against the Miami Hurricanes.
The good news is this injury is just a sprained ankle and UNC has been rolling enough that they should be able to beat the Hurricanes without Pinson in the lineup. However, if the junior continues to suffer these injuries, it’s going to have a great impact on North Carolina in March.
Williams and company need Pinson on the floor in the biggest of moments. He averages 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, but most importantly, he’s a key leader on a National Championship contending team.
Nov 25, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Bennie Boatwright (25) and Southern California Trojans guard Jonah Mathews (2) celebrate in the second half against the SMU Mustangs during a NCAA basketball game at Galen Center. USC defeated SMU 78-73. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Bennie Boatwright to return next week?
It’s remarkable how well the USC Trojans have played so far this season without the services of one of their best big men Bennie Boatwright, who has been out due to sprained MCL. Andy Enfield’s squad is 18-4 overall (5-4 in the Pac-12) and have wins over Texas A&M, SMU, BYU, and UCLA.
While the Trojans are a solid team without Boatwright, in order to make it deep in the Pac-12 tournament and make a run in the NCAA Tournament, the Trojans are going to need their best player in the lineup.
And it seems like USC fans are getting closer to seeing the return of Boatwright.
The USC Trojans are hoping to get Bennie Boatwright back next week when the team visits Washington and Washington State, Andy Enfield told FanRag Sports on Friday.
The 6-10 forward hasn’t played since Nov. 30th due to a knee injury.
“We’re hoping to get him back on our next road trip, but it’s still to be determined,” Enfield said of Boatwright, who was averaging 10.8 points and 4.0 rebounds prior to injury. “He hasn’t done a full contact practice yet so we’ll see, but we’re anxious to get him back.”
Boatwright is averaging 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game so far this season. He has missed 17 games this season but also had huge outings against both SMU (17 points and five rebounds) and UCSB (21 points).
Boatwright and Chimezie Metu will form a potent one-two front court punch. That will compliment a backcourt that consists of Jordan McLaughlin, Elijah Stewart, De’Anthony Melton and Shaqquan Aaron.
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