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

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.

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."

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.

"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."