Bad news for Villanova

Discussion in 'Men's College Basketball' started by CUSA Fan, Mar 21, 2005.

  1. CUSA Fan

    CUSA Fan JBB JustBBall Member

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">VILLANOVA, Pa. (March 21) - Villanova forward Curtis Sumpter will miss the rest of the NCAA tournament after a MRI exam Monday revealed he has a torn ligament in his left knee.

    Sumpter was hurt in Villanova's second-round win over Florida on Sunday, leaving the game after 12 minutes after scoring eight points and twice tumbling to the court and clutching his left knee. Sumpter, the team's second-leading scorer (15.3 points) and leading rebounder (7.2 rebounds) didn't play again, instead cheering his teammates on from the bench.

    "When it happened, I knew something was wrong,'' Sumpter said. "I knew something felt a little funny. I thought I'd walk it off and I'd be fine.''

    Villanova beat the fourth-seeded Gators 76-65 and advanced to its first regional semifinal since 1988. The fifth-seeded Wildcats will play No. 1 seed North Carolina on Friday night in Syracuse.

    Coach Jay Wright said Sumpter has a history of not telling trainers how bad he's hurt. The junior missed two games this season with a sprained right knee.

    "I knew when he didn't play it was serious,'' Wright said.

    Sumpter, a second-team All-Big East selection, said the first time he went down against the Gators, he thought he had just tweaked his knee and wasn't really concerned about a serious injury. Sumpter said the second time, his knee just "gave out'' and he knew he was finished for the tournament.

    "I kind of knew it was something serious because I never felt like that before,'' Sumpter said.

    Still, Sumpter predicted after the game he would return.

    Sumpter's injury is a serious blow to the Wildcats, who are chasing their first national championship since 1985. Besides being Villanova's only legitimate presence in the post, Sumpter's versatile enough to swing out and play well from the perimeter, shooing 43 percent from 3-point range (39-for-90).

    Without their 6-foot-7, 223-pound forward, the Wildcats will need more minutes and production from Marcus Austin and Chris Charles.

    Jason Fraser had 21 points and 15 rebounds against Florida and could start, but Wright is cautious to give him major minutes because of a history of knee injuries. Wright said the starter would be a game-time decision.

    Randy Foye scored 18 points and reserve Kyle Lowry added 15 to pick up the slack for Sumpter and leading scorer Allan Ray, who struggled against Florida.

    "You have to look at the second half of that Florida game and what our guys were able to do,'' Wright said. "What I saw in the second half of that Florida game just confirms what I thought about these guys (and) how mentally tough they are.''</div>

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    Bad news for 'Nova fans. Their chances of upsetting a favorite by many to win the NCAA championship, the Tarheels, have decreased. Sumpter was a star on this team, and now, he is gone for the rest of the tournament. Tough news.
     
  2. BigBlueFan

    BigBlueFan BBW Member

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    Yeah, they are in some real trouble now.

    No doubt that UNC should pretty much run away with this one.
     
  3. Shapecity

    Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

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    Ouch. I'm not sure if they could beat UNC anyways, but this is a huge blow to their chances.
     
  4. twolvefan11

    twolvefan11 JBB Banned Member

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    Wow, the breaks keep on getting better for UNC. Gotta love it.
     

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