Injuries can happen anytime and could ruin seasons for various players, and this is especially true for college basketball, as just a few weeks ahead of March Madness, several players went down with the injury bug. What makes it worse for them and their teams is that these are season-ending injuries that would greatly affect their chances to move forward in the national championship tournament.
CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein has revealed five big injuries from probably March Madness-bound teams or teams that are seen to have a deep run at this year’s tournament. These are not role players either, but key players who put up big numbers for their respective teams.
- Caleb Wilson, North Carolina Tar Heels (Thumb)
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech Red Raiders (ACL)
- Richie Saunders, BYU Cougars (ACL)
- Matthew Hodge, Villanova Wildcats(ACL)
- LJ Carson, Michigan Wolverines (ACL)
Caleb Wilson, who was big vs. arch rival Duke the last time they met, suffered a thumb injury during practice and this was ruled severe enough to make the freshman star miss the rest of the season. This means he will not be playing in their rematch against the Blue Devils, nor will he be back for March Madness.
As for JY Toppin, his absence will mean that the Red Raiders frontcourt will have a lot of holes in it, as they lack good forwards and centers against a frontcourt-heavy team like BYU. As for BYU, Richie Saunders will be missed, as this would mean that AJ Dybantsa will have to carry a majority of the scoring load for the Cougars.
Meanwhile, Matt Hodge tore his ACL in that loss against St. John’s, and like Texas Tech, this means that the team’s frontline will be a bit shorthanded. Finally, Michigan loses one of its best scorers in sixth man LJ Carson, who has been consistent in being a spark off the bench for the No. 3 Wolverines.
BYU, North Carolina Hit With Multiple Injuries Ahead of March Madness
That is not all, but BYU and North Carolina, ranked teams that are expected to have higher seeds in the tournament, are missing some key pieces. For the Tar Heels, center James Brown is also out for the season because of a season-ending foot injury.
The hardest-hit is of course, BYU, which finds itself missing four guards, including Saunders. Dawson Baker is out for the season due to a knee injury, while Nate Pickens as an undisclosed season-ending knee injury. Meanwhile, guard KJ Perry has been redshirted.
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