During Tuesday's media availability, Al Nolen said he might return next week when the Gophers face South Dakota State in their final nonconference tilt. Nolen said a lingering stress fracture has caused the pain that's kept him out of the team's last four games.
Nolen said he felt good in limited action in practice Monday and Tuesday.
"I'm feeling good," he said. "They've got a couple orthotics for me in my shoes, help taking the pressure off that one area. ... I'm just trying to get my wind back out here and get ready to play."
Tubby Smith said there's still a possibility that Nolen will play against Akron Wednesday.
"Al is working out some. He didn't get much work in [Tuesday] morning so I'm not sure whether he'll play [Wednesday] or not," Smith said after practice Tuesday.
After a strong start that included a 17-point performance in the Puerto Rico Tipoff title game against West Virginia, Nolen said the foot pain became too severe to play through.
"It's really been bothering me for awhile now but I always figured it was my shoes, so I kind of didn't put too much thought about it being an injury," he said. "But after Puerto Rico, we played so many games in a few amount of days, it really starting hurting a lot. That's when I decided to go possibly check it out."
Nolen said doctors and trainers told him that former Gophers suffered from the same condition and recovered with varying results. The Gophers co-captain said he wants to make sure he's ready to play because he doesn't want to incur further injury. He also said he's trying to get back into game shape after missing so much time.
