March Madness Key Injuries & Absences for Sweet 16

• Two of the top three picks in the March Madness odds are dealing with injury concerns heading into the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
• Alabama Crimson Tide forward Brandon Miller (groin) is listed as probable for their game against the San Diego State Aztecs
• The UCLA Bruins are without guard Jaylen Clark (foot) as they are facing the Gonzaga Bulldogs

Entering March Madness, it was the Houston Cougars who were the top-seeded team facing a key injury concern, but as the Sweet 16 gets underway, that spotlight is switching to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The #1 seed in the South Region, Alabama star freshman forward Brandon Miller is dealing with a groin ailment as they prepare to play the #5 San Diego State Aztecs. Alabama is the +360 chalk in the March Madness odds.

Similar worries were circling about Houston Cougars guard Marcus Sasser’s tender groin entering the NCAA Tournament. But the AAC Player of the Year is no longer carrying an injury designation entering the Sweet 16.

As the second week of action gets set to go, the only game not showing any injuries is the East Region matchup between the #3 Kansas State Wildcats and #7 Michigan State Spartans.

March Madness Injury Report

Sasser Looking Strong For Houston

Sasser missed Houston’s AAC Conference Tournament final loss to Memphis. When he sat out the second half of the Cougars’ opening-round March Madness win over Northern Kentucky, it was worrisome. However, Sasser’s performance in Houston’s second-round win over Auburn allayed those fears.

The senior guard hit for 22 points, including five 3-pointers, in Houston’s 81-64 drubbing of the Tigers. Sasser indicated he expects to be close to 100% healthy for Houston’s Sweet 16 game against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes. At +380, Houston, top seed in the Midwest Region, are the second betting pick to win the NCAA Tournament.

A hobbled Marcus Sasser provided enough scoring punch to help Houston advance to the Sweet 16 with a win over Auburn, making 5/9 threes and showing his bucket-getting ability all game with 22 points. pic.twitter.com/HNISmWytbO

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 19, 2023

Sasser is averaging 16.9 points per game. He’s shooting 44.1% from the field and 38.8% from 3-point range.

Sasser has a history of getting hurt at the worst possible time. He 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.

Alabama Treading Cautiously With Miller

Miller sat out practice earlier in the week to rest what Alabama coach Nate Oats is describing as a lingering groin issue.

The Crimson Tide was increasing Miller’s workload each day as a precaution to ensure that he’d be ready to go for their game on Friday against the Aztecs.

Brandon Miller on the status of his groin injury @abc3340

"I'm always going to tell you I'm 100% so I'm 100%" pic.twitter.com/2mrpsUKtxS

— Chris McCulley (@ChrisMcCulleyTV) March 17, 2023

Named the top freshman in NCAA basketball, Miller is averaging 196. points, and 8.3 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 45.1% from the field and .541 from beyond the arc.

Bona Expected Back For Bruins

The #2 seed in the West Region, UCLA is facing its toughest test of March Madness in a Sweet 16 matchup against the tournament-tested Gonzaga Bulldogs. The good news is that the injury status of center Adem Bona (left shoulder) has been upgraded from questionable to probable.

Bona missed the tournament opener against UNC Asheville. He played 20 minutes in UCLA’s 68-63 second-round win over Northwestern. Bona scored six points and had two blocks but re-aggravated his shoulder injury on a dunk.

The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Bona is UCLA’s dominant presence in the paint. He leads UCLA with 1.7 blocks per game and is also shooting a team-high 67.5% from the field.

Bruins guard David Singleton (sprained right ankle) is also showing as probable on the injury report. Shooting 42.5% from long range, Singleton is the top 3-point scorer among UCLA’a regulars. Bruins coach Mick Cronin would only say that both players are day-to-day.

The Bruins are already missing guard Jaylen Clark. The Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year is out for the season with a foot injury. He’s eighth in the NCAA in steals.