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Key March Madness Injuries and Absences to Know for First Round

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in College Basketball

Updated Mar 14, 2023 · 5:30 PM PDT

Marcus Sasser, Houston Cougars suffering injury
Mar 11, 2023; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Houston Cougars forward J'Wan Roberts (13) and a Cougars trainer check on guard Marcus Sasser (0) during 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 dealing with key injuries as tip-off for the NCAA Tournament nears
  • The Houston Cougars, top seed in the Midwest Region, could be without shooting guard Marcus Sasser
  • UCLA, the #2 seed in the West, may be missing two starters

When teams are preparing for March Madness, coaches like to stress that they control what they control. However, when it comes to uncontrollable factors, injuries are at the top of the list of items that can sideline an NCAA Tournament run.

As the opening tip-off for the Round of 64 at the NCAA Tournament nears, some of the leading contenders in the March Madness odds are dealing with injuries to key players.

 

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Let’s look at all the players currently populating the injury lists for tournament teams, and assess how it might affect the way you’ll be betting the tourney.

March Madness Injury Report

Team Player Position Injury Game Status
Arkansas Trevon Brazile F knee out
Auburn Chance Westry G knee out
Baylor Langston Love G eye questionable
Boise State Sadraque NgaNga G illness questionable
Gonzaga Kaden Perry F back out
Grand Canyon Jovan Blacksher Jr G knee out
Houston Marcus Sasser G groin probable
Indiana Xavier Johnson G foot out
Indiana Logan Duncomb C sinus out
Indiana Anthony Leal G ankle questionable
Iona Quinn Slazinski F undisclosed out
Iona Cruz Davis G undisclosed questionable
Kansas Cam Martin F shoulder questionable
Kansas Kevin McCullar G back questionable
Kansas State Keyontae Johnson F head probable
Kent State Giovanni Santiago G hand questionable
Kentucky Sahvir Wheeler G ankle out
Marquette Zach Wrightsil G/F knee out
Marquette Emarion Ellis F knee questionable
Memphis Keonte Kennedy G hand out
Miami FL Norchad Omier F ankle questionable
Missouri Isiaih Mosley F personal out
Missouri Tre Gomillion G groin questionable
Missouri Ronnie DeGray III F knee questionable
North Carolina State Greg Gantt F lower body questionable
North Carolina State Dusan Mahorcic F knee out
Northwestern Julian Roper II G ankle out
Northwestern Luke Hunger F foot out
Oral Roberts Sir Issac Herron F hand out
Penn State Caleb Dorsey G undisclosed out
Princeton Deven Austin G undisclosed questionable
TCU Eddie Lampkin Jr C personal questionable
Tennessee Zakai Zeigler G knee out
Texas Timmy Allen F leg questionable
UCLA Jaylen Clark G foot out
UCLA Adem Bona F shoulder questionable
USC Vincent Iwuchukwu F back questionable
Utah State Rylan Jones G concussion out
Virginia Ben Van Der Plas F hand out
West Virginia Mohamad Wague F foot out
West Virginia Josiah Davis G wrist questionable
Xavier Dieonte Miles F personal questionable
Xavier KyKy Tandy G foot questionable
Xavier Zach Freemantle F foot out
Xavier Kam Craft G knee questionable

Can Houston Win Without Sasser?

Houston shooting guard Marcus Sasser suffered a strained groin against Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference tournament semifinals on Saturday. He hasn’t played since.

The Cougars are listing Sasser as probable for their Round of 64 game against the #16 Northern Kentucky Norse. Truth be told, the Cougars can take the Norse without Sasser’s help.

Can they make a run without out? Sasser is averaging 17.1 points per game. He’s shooting 43.9% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc.

He also missed Houston’s run to the Elite Eight last year due to a foot injury. He was a starter for the Cougars in 2021 when they reached the Final Four.

Trouble Brewing for Bruins?

The #2 seed in the West Region, there’s high hopes that UCLA basketball tradition can be revived with another strong March Madness performance. However, things are off to an unnerving start.

The Bruins are already without guard Jaylen Clark. Out with a foot injury, he’s eighth in the NCAA in steals. As well, forward Adem Bona, UCLA’s dominant presence in the paint, is questionable due to a shoulder injury.

Bona leads UCLA with 1.7 blocks per game and is also shooting a team-high 66.9% from the field. UCLA coach Mick Cronin is confident that Bona is trending the right direction and will be able to play as the Bruins face #15 UNC-Asheville.

Self Returning for Jayhawks

It sounds like the coach of the defending national champions will be back on the sideline for March Madness. Bill Self, coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, last year’s tourney winners, missed the Big 12 Tournament.

Kansas has since revealed that Self was hospitalized and underwent a heart procedure. In a statement, Self was indicating that he was planning to rejoin the team for tournament play. It’s still undetermined whether he will coach the top-seeded Jayhawks in their West Region opener against the #16 Howard Bison.

 

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