Duke, Kentucky and Michigan St could get injured stars back for conference tourneys

Zion Williamson, Reid Travis and Nick Ward could return from injuries to help their respective teams in conference tournaments this week

March 12, 2019 at 6:19PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Injuries can definitely affect seeding and how far teams can make a run in the NCAA tournament.

Best example of that for a potential Final Four and national champion was when Kenyon Martin suffered a broken leg with No. 1-ranked Cincinnati in the Conference USA tournament, which eventually dropped the Bearcats from the likely top overall seed to a No. 2 slot in the NCAAs.

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Martin ended up being the No. 1 pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, so you can see why his absence led to Cincinnati's early departure falling to Tulsa in the second round.

Fortunately for Minneapolis Final Four contenders like Duke, Michigan State and Kentucky, they could be getting key players back from injuries soon. Zion Williamson, Reid Travis and Nick Ward have all been out for the last five games.

Williamson, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and a freshman phenom, is expected to return in the ACC tournament opener after missing five games with a knee sprain he suffered in a Feb. 20 loss to North Carolina.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters after the second UNC loss over the weekend that Williamson should play Thursday.

"Hopefully, we'll get a couple good days of practice where he can be 5-on-5, and then see how that goes," Coach K said. "The way he looks right now, I think it's just a matter of getting in shape, getting in game shape, and going forward."

A healthy Williamson will definitely lessen the blow of losing center Marques Bolden to an MCL sprain against the Tar Heels. Bolden was ruled out by Krzyzewski to play in the ACC tournament.

Travis and Ward are two more frontcourt standouts that should be recovered to play for their respective teams before the NCAA tournament.

Travis, a 6-8 senior forward from Minneapolis, has missed five games with a sprained right knee, but has been working out and hasn't been ruled out for the SEC tournament.

"It's not an ACL. He sprained his knee," Calipari told Kentucky media over the weekend. "If he plays, I'll be doing backflips. If not, we'll figure it out."

The Spartans were able to win a share of the Big Ten title by sweeping Michigan on Saturday. Ward, a 6-8 junior center, cheered his teammates on from the bench in street clothes.

Ward has been out for five straight games after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand.

Still, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo told local media recently Ward will be ready to play Friday when his team opens the Big Ten tournament in Chicago.

"I do expect Nick to play," Izzo said Monday. "How much? I don't know. I'm 99 percent sure he's going to play unless there's a setback."

Once Williamson, Travis and Ward are officially back from injury and return to form on the court, Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State are most definitely teams to watch again for Minneapolis.

about the writer

about the writer

Marcus Fuller

Reporter

Marcus Fuller covers Gophers men's basketball, national college basketball, college sports and high school recruiting for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

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