Major March Madness injuries and absences for the first round
March 11, 2023; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Houston Cougars forward J’Wan Roberts (13) and a Cougars coach check Marcus Sasser (0) in the first half against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
- A number of top contenders for March Madness honors are grappling with key injuries as the NCAA tournament pick nears
- The Houston Cougars, frontrunners in the Midwest, could do without shooting guard Marcus Sasser
- UCLA, No. 2 in the West, may be missing two starters
When teams prepare for March Madness, coaches like to emphasize that they control what they control. However, when it comes to uncontrollable factors, injuries top the list of things that can put an NCAA tournament run on hold.
As the opening pick for the NCAA round of 64 nears, some of the leading contenders in the March Madness odds are struggling with key player injuries.
Let’s take a look at all of the players currently filling the tournament team injury lists and assess how that might impact the way you bet the tournament.
March Madness injury report
| team | player | position | Injury | Game Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Trevon Brazil | f | Knee | out of |
| maroon | Chance Westry | G | Knee | out of |
| Baylor | Langston love | G | Eye | questionable |
| State of Boise | Sadraque NgaNga | G | illness | questionable |
| gonzaga | Caden Perry | f | return | out of |
| Grand Canyon | Jovan Blacksher Jr | G | Knee | out of |
| Houston | Markus Sasser | G | strip | probably |
| Indiana | Xavier Johnson | G | Foot | out of |
| Indiana | Logan Duncomb | C | Sine | out of |
| Indiana | Anthony Leal | G | ankle | questionable |
| Iona | Quinn Slazinski | f | not announced | out of |
| Iona | Cruz Davis | G | not announced | questionable |
| Kansas | Came Martin | f | shoulder | questionable |
| Kansas | Kevin McCullar | G | return | questionable |
| State of Kansas | Keyontae Johnson | f | Head | probably |
| Kent State | Giovanni Santiago | G | hand | questionable |
| Kentucky | Sahvir Wheeler | G | ankle | out of |
| Marquette | Zach Wrightsil | G/F | Knee | out of |
| Marquette | Emarion Ellis | f | Knee | questionable |
| memphis | Keonte Kennedy | G | hand | out of |
| Miami, Fla | Norchad Omier | f | ankle | questionable |
| Missouri | Isiah Mosley | f | personal | out of |
| Missouri | Tre Gomillion | G | strip | questionable |
| Missouri | Ronnie DeGray III | f | Knee | questionable |
| State of North Carolina | Gregory Gantt | f | lower body | questionable |
| State of North Carolina | Dusan Mahorcic | f | Knee | out of |
| northwest | Julian Roper II | G | ankle | out of |
| northwest | Luke Hunger | f | Foot | out of |
| Oral Roberts | Sir Issac Herron | f | hand | out of |
| Pennsylvania | Caleb Dorsey | G | not announced | out of |
| Princeton | Deven Austin | G | not announced | questionable |
| TCU | Eddie Lampkin Jr | C | personal | questionable |
| Tennessee | Zakai Zeigler | G | Knee | out of |
| Texas | Timmy Allen | f | leg | questionable |
| UCLA | Jaylen Clark | G | Foot | out of |
| UCLA | Adam Bona | f | shoulder | questionable |
| U.S.C | Vincent Iwuchukwu | f | return | questionable |
| State of Utah | Rylan Jones | G | concussion | out of |
| Virginia | Ben van der Plas | f | hand | out of |
| West Virginia | Mohamed Wague | f | Foot | out of |
| West Virginia | Josiah Davis | G | wrist | questionable |
| xavier | Dieonte Miles | f | personal | questionable |
| xavier | Ky Ky Tandy | G | Foot | questionable |
| xavier | Zach Freemantle | f | Foot | out of |
| xavier | Came craft | G | Knee | questionable |
Can Houston win without Sasser?
Houston shooting guard Marcus Sasser suffered a groin strain in Saturday’s semifinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament against Cincinnati. He hasn’t played since then.
The Cougars list Sasser as likely in their Round of 64 game against the #16 Northern Kentucky Norse. To be honest, the Cougars can take the Norse without Sasser’s help.
Can they go out without? Sasser averages 17.1 points per game. He shoots 43.9% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc.
He also missed Houston’s run to the Elite Eight last year with a foot injury. He was a starter for the Cougars in 2021 as they made the Final Four.
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Trouble brewing for bruins?
Ranked No. 2 in the West Region, there are high hopes that the UCLA basketball tradition can be reignited with another strong performance from March Madness. However, things start out unsettling.
The Bruins are already without guard Jaylen Clark. With a foot injury, he’s eighth in the NCAA for steals. Forward Adem Bona, UCLA’s dominant presence in the color, is also questionable with a shoulder injury.
Mick Cronin said Adem Bona is feeling a lot better today, sounds like a good trajectory.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) March 12, 2023
Bona leads UCLA with 1.7 blocks per game and also shoots a team-high 66.9% from the field. UCLA coach Mick Cronin is confident Bona is headed in the right direction and will be able to play when the Bruins meet #15 UNC Asheville.
Auto return for Jayhawks
It sounds like the March Madness champion’s coach is back on the sidelines. Bill Self, coach of last year’s tournament-winning Kansas Jayhawks, missed the Big 12 tournament.
Norm Roberts told me it’s not yet decided whether Bill Self will train on Thursday.
Even traveled separately with the family. pic.twitter.com/xIJfStRlDX
— Brandon Zenner (@KWCHBrandon) March 14, 2023
Kansas has since announced that Self was hospitalized and underwent heart surgery. In a statement, Self indicated that he plans to rejoin the team for tournament play. It’s yet to be determined if he will coach the top seeded Jayhawks in their West Region opener against number 16 Howard Bison.
Robert Duff
sports journalist
As an industry veteran, Bob literally taught the history of sport course at the Elder College. He has worked as a sports columnist for Postmedia, has been a guest on several radio stations, has served as vice president of the Ontario Society For International Hockey Research, and has written 25 books.
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