Injuries are starting to mount for a couple teams

[tornado]

Loyola starter Lucas Williamson broke a bone in his right hand on November 27. They said he'd be out 4-6 weeks. He made his return Jan. 8 - missing 8 games.
Since his return he' shot 40% (plus 5-14 from 3pt), averaged 8 ppg, but re-injured the same hand in the 4th game back
and is now said to possibly be done for the season - Porter Moser just said "surgery is imminent".

Valpo starters Derrik Smits (back injury) & Markus Golder (foot injury - in walking boot) still out with nagging injuries but may play this week. Ryan Fazekas (badly sprained right ankle) out even longer. Micah Bradford is also out for the season with back problems.
Fazekas injured the ankle in the Jan. 8 game against Bradley but has not been able to come back yet.

SIU former starter Thik Bol still can only play limited minutes due to recurring knee problems but has no redshirt year remaining.
Armon Fletcher is now back from suspension - and in 6 games back is averaging 13.3 ppg and playing 33.3 min per game.

ISU starter Milik Yarbrough troubled with sore knee(s) - Taylor Bruninga done for the season with his foot injury (recurring stress fracture). Reinjured his foot as he began dressing & going through warmups as they were trying to get him ready to play. He will redshirt - https://twitter.com/RotoWireCBB/stat...56706310950912

Missouri State starter Obediah Church still out and possibly won't return. No known injury. Reserve Szymon Wojcik ankle injury has been out several games in walking boot and is expected to be done for the season. he

Drake's starter Nick Norton having surgery for ACL reconstruction - done for the season after 14 games.

Indiana State forward Devin Thomas, has started half the games he has played, out with ankle injury....has missed four games

UNI Tywhon Pickford has been slowed all season by shoulder & ankle injuries - he is averaging only 4 ppg, 3 rpg, far below his former numbers. Former starter Austin Phyfe (appeared in only 7 games and was minimally productive) has developed a very unusual condition for athletes, "vaso-vagal syncope" which causes his heart rate to slow and blood pressure to drop while playing and puts him at risk for passing out. He will redshirt this season as he undergoes more tests and treatment. UNI also lost starter Miles Wentzien for the year to knee injury - LINK

Bradley seems to be injury-free.as does Evansville currently.

[Da Coach]

Valpo's Micah Bradford (a former Bradley recruit) may be out for the rest of the season with a back injury-

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1089983077869334528

[tornado]

he's only played 3 minutes of one game back on Nov. 16 - so I am confident they won't bring him back now

[tornado]

...
Missouri State starter Obediah Church still out and possibly won't return. No known injury. ...

Missouri State just issued a press release -
One time Bradley recruit and Missouri State forward Obediah Church is no longer part of the team and will not return according to head coach Dana Ford:
"After several attempts to meet and talk, we still have some differences of opinion,” Ford said.
”We’re at the point where we need to move forward, and we certainly wish him the best.”

Church is a senior, and was recruited to Missouri State by former head coach Paul Lusk.
He has played in 11 games this year averaging 26.5 minutes per game but just 6.4 ppg and 4.6 rpg.
When Tulio Da Silva was deemed eligible and started playing, Church basically got replaced in the lineup and apparently was not happy that a complete newcomer-transfer moved right ahead of him in the playing rotation. Church started and played 25 minutes on Dec. 5, then 21 minutes on 12/15. But on Dec. 18 when he was subbed out after just 8 minutes and did not return, he was apparently not happy and left the team and has never been back. Who knows what really was said or what went on but in FOUR YEARS at Missouri State, he played in 106 games, started most of those, scored 692 points and had career averages of 6.5 ppg and 5.7 rebounds - being known mostly as a defensive specialist.
Dana Ford's release said he will stay on scholarship until he gets his degree but he does not appear to have NCAA eligibility left. He has the option to pursue a pro career, but he might also get an additional year of eligibility for an NAIA school, the same way Saihou Jassey did.

[Da Coach]

Loyola sophomore Lucas Williamson broke a bone in his hand in a game in late November. He missed the next 6 weeks, then returned for 4 games, then hasn't played since. Loyola was secretive about why and when he might return. But today, it was announced that he had undergone surgery this week and will be out for another 3-4 weeks.-

https://loyolaramblers.com/news/2019/1/30/mens-basketball-williamson-sidelined-amonth-following-surgery.aspx

So though it was not stated, he must have re-broken the bone in his hand in one of those games he played in after returning. And though the specifics of his surgery were also kept secret, the surgery done for a broken bone in the hand involves placing a metal pin into the bone to aid healing. The 3-4 weeks he will now be sidelined would mean he would likely return for their last 2 or 3 games of the season. Bradley plays at Loyola in the last game of the regular season on March 2nd.

[braves16]

Matt Hein broke his hand yesterday in practice and will be out for awhile for ISU.

[tornado]

ISU only has like 5 guys left who are scholarship players and weren't walk-ons, altho Hein was a walk-on last year
all those scholarships tied up in guys who have to sit out a year is coming back to haunt Muller, altho as sure as I say that some ISU troll guy masquerading as an Evansville fan will come on here and man about unfairness.

[egib52]

ISU only has like 5 guys left who are scholarship players and weren't walk-ons, altho Hein was a walk-on last year
all those scholarships tied up in guys who have to sit out a year is coming back to haunt Muller, altho as sure as I say that some ISU troll guy masquerading as an Evansville fan will come on here and man about unfairness.

No he is gone forever allegedly!!!

[mvcfan]

The injuries might help the Birds. Muller plays Hein way more then he should. He also seems to over substitute which will help him stick to some more concrete lineups.

[tornado]

They have the most talent among their starters - and they made it work last night with their top four guys carrying the entire load

But Drake is clearly not the same team since Nick Norton went down ...they were averaging 80 points a game up til then and only 69 points a game since
...over the last 6 games their scoring average has dropped further to 66 ppg.

[tornado]

The injuries might help the Birds. Muller plays Hein way more then he should. ....

regardless, since Hein went out with injury, ISU has gone 2-4..
.. including now the last four in a row as their remaining available players are getting overworked...

[tornado]

ISU's Dan Muller said that both Matt Hein (broken bone in left hand on Jan. 30) & Josh Jefferson (broken collarbone on Jan. 23) practiced today and could be available to play Sunday against Drake.
I would be very surprised if they do since both are coming off fractures - and the only games that really matter now
for most MVC teams are the 3 or 4 in St. Louis in two weeks.

[tornado]

More word on ISU forward Taylor Bruninga's injury & re-injury
"Illinois State coach Dan Muller said sophomore Taylor Bruninga had surgery Friday on his left foot
and 2 screws were inserted. Recovery time 4-6 months."

[tornado]

More injuries...

-Drake loses a 2nd starter (in addition to Nick Norton and as reported elsewhere) -
as DJ Wilkins (full time starter, 11 ppg, leader in minutes played) breaks a bone in his left ankle and is done for the season - https://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...gs/3057918002/
The injury occurred on a play with 9 minutes remaining in Drake's 73-62 victory over Missouri State Saturday.
** As noted, he plays REALLY heavy minutes for a freshman, among the league leaders at 34.2 minutes per game in MVC play.
They outscored Missouri State 19-14 after he went out.

-(not an injury but still a loss of a key player) - Evansville's 3rd leading scorer Shea Feehan, 10 ppg, was dismissed

- ISU's Josh Jefferson, who broke his left collarbone January 23, finally returned and played on Saturday - but
lasted only 14 minutes, went 0-4 and 0-3 from the arc and was scoreless with zero assists.
The effects of six weeks out clearly showed.

-ISU's Matt Hein broke a bone in his left hand on Jan. 29 and was said to be fully cleared to return on Feb. 24, but
reinjured his hand after going scoreless in just 6 minutes - and was in severe pain.
They said he was cleared again to play Feb. 27 but again was ineffective - going scoreless with zero assists in 6 minutes again.
He was said to be ready to play again Saturday - but did not enter the game at all -
No word if he is re-injured or will be ready for THURSDAY's game.

-In Saturday's ISU game at SIU, Matt Chastain was called to log heavy minutes due to their short bench, but in 25 minutes
he was scoreless and didn't even attempt a shot. There was no official mention of an injury - however - he was observed to strain and possibly hyperextend his left knee a week earlier (LINK). He has had serious knee problems and multiple knee surgeries.

-there are also questions about ISU's Keyshawn Evans - who just doesn't look fully healthy - is shooting just 30%
since the Bradley game, and onnly 33% all year. He has had recurring knee & shoulder issues.

-Valparaiso - Ryan Fazekas (12 ppg) still out for the past 10 games with ankle injury but now has broken his thumb . Valpo has averaged just 53 points per game over the past two weeks...and he probably won't be back for the tournament - LINK
He's not eligible for redshirt as he's played 20 games.

-Indiana State's Devin Thomas, backup big man, played Saturday for th efirst time in a month after an ankle injury.
he played less than 1 minute and was scoreless, missing his only shot. Comment by their beat writer "he's not entirely healthy" - LINK