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March Madness Significant Injury News for the First Round

John Hyslop

by John Hyslop in College Basketball

Updated Mar 22, 2021 · 8:49 AM PDT

Michigan forward Isaiah Livers driving to the net against Wisconsin guard Jonathan Davis during a NCAA men's basketball game.
Michigan forward Isaiah Livers (2) drives on Wisconsin guard Jonathan Davis (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
  • Several teams will be missing key players in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament
  • See which players are injured or unavailable along with the point spread for their team’s next game
  • The list below will be updated until the round of 64 is complete

It’s been almost two years since the last NCAA Tournament game as last year’s was cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns. This year’s event has Covid-19 imprints as the whole thing will be played in or around Indianapolis, Indiana giving it a “bubble” feel. Also, the First Four will be played on Thursday beginning at 5:10pm ET rather than the usual Tuesday-Wednesday slot. As a result, the first round has been pushed to Friday-Saturday rather than the normal Thursday-Friday.

One thing that hasn’t changed this year is the fact that some teams are coming in much healthier than others. Injuries can drastically alter a team’s chances in a field like this and there are more than a few significant injuries to be aware of heading into the first round.

Team Player (Position) Injury Status Statistics Next Game
Drake Roman Penn (PG) Broken foot Out 11.2 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.3 RPG Wichita State (-2) vs Drake
Michigan Isaiah Livers (F) Stress Fracture (Foot) Out 13.1 PPG, 2 APG, 6 RPG Mount St Mary’s/Texas Southern
Villanova Colin Gillespie (PG) Torn MCL Out 14 PPG, 4.6 APG, 3.3 RPG Villanova (-6) vs Winthrop
Connecticut RJ Cole (PG) Concussion Questionable 12.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, 2.9 RPG Connecticut (-2.5) vs Maryland
Kansas Jalen Wilson (F) Undisclosed Out 12.1 PPG, 2 APG, 8.2 RPG Kansas (-10.5) vs Eastern Washington

Table last updated March 17th.

Roman Penn (PG), Drake

The Drake Bulldogs’ season was drastically altered on February 21st when Roman Penn broke his foot against Evansville. The junior point guard was a key cog in a very efficient Bulldog offense. Although he was only the third leading scorer, Penn led the team in assists with 5.5 per game. He also led the team in steals per game with 1.4.

Although Drake won three of it’s five games without Penn on the floor, they were obviously not as good without him. They were the sixth-most efficient offense in the country with 1.118 points per possession. In their last three games without Penn, they have slipped to 1.036 which doesn’t seem like much but against tournament competition it’s a big deal.

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Isaiah Livers (F), Michigan

This one could be the most significant injury because Livers is a very important player on a team that could actually win this tournament. His injury is being called a stress fracture in his foot and he has been seen in a walking boot. He has even come out and said it would be “miraculous” if he played in this tournament so the Wolverines will be wise to prepare for life without Livers.

Aside from being a leader off the court, Livers was also Michigan’s second leading scorer averaging 13.1 points per game. He is a 43% three-point shooter as well as an 87% free-throw shooter. Guys like Livers don’t grow on trees and the Wolverines clearly missed him in their 68-67 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament.

Collin Gillespie (PG), Villanova

On March 3rd, the Villanova Wildcats’ season took a drastic turn for the worse. Although they got the win over Creighton 72-60 that day, they lost their star point guard Collin Gillespie. Besides being the team’s second leading scorer, he also led the team in assists with 4.6 per game. On top of being the facilitator, he was also the best option to take free-throws at the end of games. His 83.3% mark from the charity stripe led the Wildcats this season.

It didn’t take long for Gillespie’s absence to become noticeable. They immediately lost their next game to a middling Providence Friars team 54-52. They followed up that loss with another one to the Georgetown Hoyas in the Big East Tournament. In fact, they haven’t won since Gillespie’s injury.

RJ Cole (PG), Connecticut

So much has been made about James Bouknight and what he has done for the Connecticut Huskies since returning from injury that fans forget about RJ Cole. He was the second leading scorer while also leading the team in assists. He is the Robin to Bouknight’s Batman and he needs to be on the floor if the Huskies want to advance.

With about five minutes left in the Huskies’ loss to Creighton in the Big East Tournament, Cole hit his head on the floor. He was bleeding on the court and is said to have suffered a mild concussion. The Huskies don’t play until Saturday so he has an extra day to heal but his status is worth monitoring.

Jalen Wilson (F), Kansas

The Kansas Jayhawks were dealt a ridiculously bad blow when they had to bow out of the Big 12 Tournament because of Covid-19 concerns in the program. Two players that did not travel with the team this week were Jalen Wilson and David McCormack. Coach Bill Self has stated that he does expect McCormack to play in the first round but Wilson is still being listed as out.

If Wilson is not cleared to play, it would be a massive blow for the Jayhawks. He’s the third leading scorer on the Kansas roster but his 8.2 rebounds per game will be missed most. Wilson was a glass-eater down the stretch grabbing at least nine boards in nine of his last ten games.

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