2 min read • March 17, 2023
Posted in
With the first day of the NCAA tournament in the books, two key injuries have emerged on the two favorites to win the championship. Below we provide detailed analysis from our panel of doctors on Houston’s Marcus Sasser and Alabama’s Brandon Miller.
The Cougars’ leading scorer went down with a groin strain in the AAC championship and reaggravated the injury in the first round against Northern Kentucky.
Sasser had 5 points and 2 rebounds on 2-5 shooting before exiting just prior to halftime. He was seen using the exercise bike to try and stay warm, but did not play in the second half and iced the injury while on the bench.
While Sasser will undoubtedly give it a go in the second round against Auburn, it will be tough for him to be effective on either end of the court.
The 6-foot-2 senior can have a role as a spot-up shooter on offense, but defense is where his groin injury will really affect him and the team.
One of the best two-way players in college basketball will not have the same ability to move laterally with the groin strain, thus his downgraded SIC score.
Miller’s large frame should help him play effectively through a groin strain he has reportedly battled since the SEC championship game.
The 6-foot-9 freshman was held scoreless in the first round win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He went 0-5 from the field in 19 minutes, but had 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
While Miller receives a slight SIC score downgrade because of the risk of reaggravation, he is likely healthy enough for a bounceback game against Maryland in the second round.
The Pro Basketball Docs did not see much evidence that he was limited in the SEC championship or the first round win.
He even threw down a dunk late in the SEC championship win.
It will be up to head coach Nate Oats to determine how much Miller plays against Maryland, which may depend on the score.
Alabama ran 11 deep against the #16 seed and has the depth for a late tournament run.
Alabama and Houston have the two best odds to win the NCAA title, with the Crimson Tide at +500 and the Cougars at +700, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Check out our guide to the top 7 injuries affecting the tournament here.
Sign up here for our FREE weekly newsletter and you'll get the best NFL, CFB, NBA and MLB injury insights from our Pro Sports Doctors plus Free Picks delivered straight to your inbox to give you an edge in betting and fantasy! Right now you'll also get one FREE month of SIC Picks - our best injury-based picks - valued at up to $200. Details sent instantly upon providing email.
Written by
THE BEST PLAYER IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL! 📺: es.pn/3J5izym #RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball
