NCAA Basketball: Injury Report (MiKyle McIntosh out three weeks)

Dec 10, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange center Paschal Chukwu (13) dunks the ball against the Boston University Terriers during the second half at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 99-77. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-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 at Arizona. Ben Carter and Gavin Schilling are done at Michigan State. Duke has dealt with injuries since their preseason practices and the Spartans have dealt with the same adversity. Also, Creighton and Xavier lost their heart, soul, and engines respectively (Maurice Watson Jr. and Edmond Sumner).

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 working his way back to 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, including a key piece to Illinois State’s puzzle.

Jan 28, 2017; Iowa City, IA, USA; Injured Iowa Hawkeyes guard Peter Jok (standing in black suit) reacts with the Iowa bench during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa won 85-72. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Peter Jok likely to play Sunday versus Nebraska

Iowa isn’t going anywhere this season as evident by their 13-10 record and 5-5 record in the Big Ten. Maybe they can make a late push for a spot on the bubble or more realistically an NIT berth, but they certainly aren’t doing so without their leading scorer and best player, Peter Jok.

That’s why it’s good news that Jok is expected to return on Sunday for a match-up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Iowa won the two games that Jok was out for (Ohio State and Rutgers), but the Cornhuskers are a major step up competition-wise.

And in that case, it’s necessary that Jok is out on the floor.

The senior guard from West Des Moines is averaging 21.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 44 percent and 38 percent from beyond the arc.

Some young talented players have emerged for Iowa (Cordell Pemsl, Tyler Cook, Jordan Bohannon, among others), but the team revolves around Jok. And they won’t be truly successful without him.

Nov 26, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Chris Silva (30) fights for a rebounds against Syracuse Orange center Paschal Chukwu (13) and guard Andrew White III (3) during the first half of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Paschal Chukwu done for the year with eye injury

Before the season, Providence transfer Paschal Chukwu was supposed to be a critical piece to the Syracuse Orange’s puzzle. The 7’2″ center was expected to provide rim protection and length in their 2-3 zone, and scoring around the basket (whether it be dunks or soft touch on layups).

Instead, Chukwu has been a non-factor all season long and was ruled out for the season on Friday due to an eye injury.

From FanRag Sports:

The Syracuse big man, playing this season after sitting out the last due to NCAA transfer rules, was forced to have surgery on his eye in the middle of December.

Initially, he had eye trouble in mid-November, when his face got walloped by a misguided pass. The ball hit him square in the eye, which caused blurred vision.

He wore goggles for a couple plays in Syracuse’s next game, but he would end up removing them, as it was altering his vision.

Chukwu played in seven games this season, averaging just 1.7 points per game while blocking 2.0 shots and grabbing 4.1 rebounds per game. He shot 67 percent from the field and, but struggled from the free-throw line and turned the ball over 1.4 times per game.

Syracuse isn’t a deep team, so regardless of his struggles, not having Chukwu in the lineup for the rest of the season is a serious detriment for the Orange. However, the good news is that Tyler Lydon, Taurean Thompson, and Tyler Roberson. The more concerning aspect lies with their guard play.

Nov 21, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Illinois State Redbirds forward MiKyle McIntosh (11) defended by TCU Horned Frogs forward JD Miller (15) at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sean Pokorny-USA TODAY Sports

MiKyle McIntosh sidelined for three weeks

Illinois State (19-4, 11-0) has become one of the biggest surprises in college basketball at the mid-major level. The Redbirds have already defeated the preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Wichita State at home and are relying on tough defense and their ‘Big Three’ to carry them to victories.

Unfortunately for the Redbirds, they have lost one of their three best players to a three-week knee injury.

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This is brutal news for the Redbirds because they have very little margin for error if they want to have a chance at an at-large bid. Basically, Illinois State will have to win out, including a victory over Wichita State on the road on Saturday.

That wouldn’t be an easy game with MiKyle McIntosh in the lineup, nevermind without him.

McIntosh averages 13.5 points (second on the team), 6.4 rebounds (second on the team) and 2.0 assists. He shoots an efficient 46 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc. The 6’7″ junior forward does tend to turn the ball over a lot, but his experience and leadership are more valuable than anything.

Illinois State does have other stellar players in Deontae Hawkins and Paris Lee, and they will still have an opportunity to make March Madness even if they lose one or two conference games because of their postseason league tournament. However, we could ultimately be thinking, ‘what if’ with Illinois State in a month or so.