NCAA Basketball: Injury Report (Ed Morrow out indefinitely)

Apr 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Phil Booth (5) works around the defense of North Carolina Tar Heels forward Theo Pinson (1) during the first half in the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

What NCAA basketball injuries should we keep an eye on as we head into the weekend?

We’re just two weeks into conference play, but we’ve already seen significant injuries sweep through the nation.

Ben Carter is out for the season for Michigan State, while Gavin Schilling also suffered a knee injury and may not return until late in the year, if at all. Harry Giles just recently returned for the Blue Devils and clearly isn’t 100 percent just yet. Ray Smith tore his ACL for the third time in three years for Arizona. And teams are being dealt serious injuries on a daily basis.

These are just some of the injuries that have had a massive impact on certain programs across the country.

Obviously, teams, coaches and players want to avoid injuries at all costs. However, it doesn’t always work like that. Some rosters will get ravaged by them, while others will be pristine clean.

Duke was playing with six guys just a month and a half ago, but now the Blue Devils have all three of their freshman back (even though Giles and Marques Bolden are still playing limited minutes). Meanwhile, Michigan State has two key players who are currently on the sideline and Miles Bridges is on a minutes limit.

This is why it’s important to look at the key injuries in college hoops every week. This week, we will continue with four updates.

Dec 29, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; k5/ and Mississippi Rebels guard Deandre Burnett (1) reach for the loose ball during the first half at The Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

DeAndre Burnett listed as day-to-day with ankle injury

Ole Miss guard DeAndre Burnett is currently the fifth leading scorer in the SEC (18.0 points) behind the likes of Malik Monk, Yante Maten, Sindarius Thornwell and Quinndary Weatherspoon.

But after suffering an injured ankle during the Rebels’ loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, Burnett used crutches to leave the arena and was ruled day-to-day. He underwent an MRI and it was announced that the guard did not suffer any ligament damage, making the injury a severely sprained ankle.

Burnett is the Rebels’ leading scorer and leading assist man (3.1), and is shooting 36 percent from the field overall and 36 percent from beyond the three point line. He is also shooting a highly efficient 91 percent from the line and is averaging 0.9 steals per game.

With a critical game coming up on Saturday at South Carolina, Andy Kennedy’s team needs Burnett’s services if they want to have an opportunity to pull off a massive upset. It’s unlikely that the Miami transfer will play though (there have been some reports that he is doubtful), putting a load of pressure on New Mexico transfer Cullen Neal and Rasheed Brooks.

Apr 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Phil Booth (5) works around Oklahoma Sooners defense during the first half in the 2016 NCAA Men’s Division I Championship semi-final game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Phil Booth still not back in Villanova’s lineup

The Villanova Wildcats are set to play the St. John’s Red Storm at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon, but they are unlikely to have the services of veteran guard Phil Booth.

The junior guard, who scored 20 points in the National Championship game against North Carolina, has missed the last 14 games with painful knee tendinitis. Despite having no timetable for his return, head coach Jay Wright told FanRag’s Jon Rothstein that it is too early to plan on not having Booth for the rest of the season.

From FanRag:

This is a similar situation to what Duke dealt with last year with Amile Jefferson. The big man had the option of returning late in the season to help the Blue Devils during their March Madness run, or the option of returning to the team the following season to help a loaded 2016-17 roster.

Jefferson chose the latter and has molded into a potential All-American and the most important player on Coach K’s roster.

Booth obviously won’t be an All-American caliber player, but he would have two years remaining if he were granted a medical red shirt.

Then again, the Wildcats could use Booth late in the season. The Wildcats can win the Big East regular season title without the guard, however, once they reach the Big Dance, Wright’s squad could use more depth and another ball handler. On top of that, Booth has experience on the big stage and has proven that he can have a major impact against elite teams.

The junior is unlikely to be back anytime soon, so Wright and the Nova program have to weigh the pros and cons of potentially keeping him in the fold this year.

Will Booth be healthy enough to make an impact? How long is it going to take for him to get back to himself? Will he be on a minutes limit when he returns? These are all questions that must be answered.

Nov 22, 2016; Lahaina, Maui, HI, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Tony Bradley (5) dunks against Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Phil Forte III (13) during the Maui Jim Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Tony Bradley (concussion) is out against Florida State

North Carolina has a monster top 25 showdown with Florida State on Saturday in Chapel Hill. With a victory, the Tar Heels would be on a four-game winning streak and could potentially be tied atop the ACC with the Seminoles and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

However, the Tar Heels will have to win at home without a key piece off the bench.

Freshman forward Tony Bradley is out due to a concussion that he suffered in North Carolina’s last game.

The good news is that Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks, the team’s top two big men, will be in the lineup, and Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson, the team’s two most important players, will also be playing.

However, the Seminoles have one of the deeper teams in the ACC. Their front court, in particular, is loaded with size, length, athleticism, strength and versatility. And that’s why not having Bradley in the lineup is a detriment to a possible victory.

What if Meeks or Hicks gets into foul trouble? What if the Tar Heel starters aren’t playing up to expectations? What happens when Florida State goes to a new lineup with two new bigs up front? Are Meeks and Hicks going to have enough stamina to deal with a fresher front line?

Bradley is no slouch either. He’s averaging a surprising 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 54 percent from the field overall. Sure, he’s scored in double figures in just one of the team’s four ACC games (a blow out against North Carolina State) and his minutes have dropped lately, but it’s still good to have multiple options to turn to off the bench.

Jan 5, 2017; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Tim Miles yells during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the third overtime at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska won 93-90. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Ed Morrow is out indefinitely with foot injury

After losing six of eight games coming into conference play, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are suddenly tied for second in the Big Ten standings with a 3-1 record. Tim Miles’ team has wins at Indiana and Maryland, and a 93-90 victory at home against Iowa.

They have three of their next four games on the road though, and now they will be playing without sophomore forward Ed Morrow for an indefinite period of time. The 6’7″ Chicago, IL native has a right foot injury.

This may not seem like big news, but the Cornhuskers have an opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament. They are 9-7 on the season and have plenty of chances to defeat teams like Purdue, Michigan (twice), Northwestern, Michigan State (twice), Wisconsin and Minnesota.

And Morrow is a critical piece to the puzzle. He is the team’s third leading scorer (behind Tai Webster and Glynn Watson Jr.) at 10.1 points per game and is the team’s top rebounder (7.9 boards).

The Cornhuskers cannot afford to lose key players, especially one of their top scorers and rebounders.

This is underrated adversity that Miles will have to overcome. It’s doable, but the Cornhuskers will have to receive even more clutch play from Webster and Watson.

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