Top 10 Player Injuries to Monitor During March Madness

Pro Football Doc is the FanDuel Official Injury Expert - Check out his home at Sports Injury Central (SIC) where his team of experts including the Pro Basketball Docs analyze all of the injury news for March Madness plus the NBA, MLB and NFL to assist you with your bracket selections, betting and fantasy sports plays.

Kerr Kriisa - Arizona (1) vs. winner of Bryant/Wright State (16)

The sophomore guard suffered an ankle injury in the Pac-12 tournament's opening game last Thursday and has not played since. His SIC health score is 36 and the ProBasketballDocs do not expect him to play in the opening round. Kriisa is the team's fourth leading scorer, but Arizona should have the talent to make it to the Sweet Sixteen. Kriisa is more likely to play then.

Kendall Brown - Baylor (1) vs. Norfolk State (16)

Brown, the freshman guard/forward, should be good to go for the Bears. He banged knees with an Oklahoma player in the Big 12 semifinal, but was able to return and finish the game. Brown's SIC score is 92, meaning he should be able to play without limitations.

L.J. Cryer - Baylor (1) vs. Norfolk State (16)

Cryer is a different story for Baylor. His return is reportedly questionable, but he has missed the last 11 games with an undisclosed foot injury. He was seen in a walking boot during the Big 12 tournament and is rumored to have a fifth metatarsal fracture. While it's difficult to confirm any details surrounding his foot injury, his SIC score is 13 and he's a long shot to play at all in the tournament. Cryer had been the team's second leading scorer in the 19 games he played this season, but the Bears will have to find a way to replace the sophomore guard's 13.5 points per game.

Baylor is also without leading rebounder Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, who suffered an LCL injury earlier this season. 

Mitch Lightfoot and David McCormack - Kansas (1) vs. winner of Texas Southern/Texas A&M-CC (16)

Lightfoot is listed as "day-to-day" entering the NCAA tournament after injuring his left knee in the Big 12 Championship. He's likely dealing with an MCL sprain, putting his SIC score at 53. 

If he misses the game, it will put more pressure on senior forward Mitch McCormack, who has been on a minutes restriction recently while dealing with a sore foot. Lightfoot is McCormack's backup, meaning McCormack could be force to play more minutes if Lightfoot is out.
McCormack's SIC score is 78, meaning he may struggle to be effective with the increased minutes.

Johnny Davis - Wisconsin (3) vs. Colgate (14) 

The sophomore leading scorer for the Badgers suffered an eversion right ankle sprain on March 7, but was able to return for the conference tournament, as the ProBasketballDocs predicted. He played his full minutes in the third round loss to Michigan State, but scored 11 points on 3-19 shooting and 0-5 from three.

The poor shooting performance may not be directly related to the ankle, but the ankle will certainly be something to watch in the early rounds of the tournament. Davis averaged 20.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in 27 games for the Badgers.

Jacob Grandison - Illinois (4) vs. Chattanooga (13)

The senior guard is dealing with a left shoulder injury, but is likely to play in the opening round. However, his shoulder was seen in a sling recently and he may need a gameday injection to play. His SIC score is 73, indicating he will likely have limited effectiveness in the opening rounds.
Grandison is fourth on team with 10.3 points per game and shoots 41% from three.

Tyson Walker - Michigan State (7) vs. Davidson (10)

Junior starting point guard is at best 50/50 to play with a left ankle sprain he suffered on Saturday against Purdue. His SIC score is 54 currently, but he should be able to play effectively if Michigan State make it to the Sweet Sixteen.

Walker's absence would be a big blow to the Spartans. He's second on the team with 4.1 assists per game and fourth on the team with 8.1 points per game.

Kyle Young - Ohio State (7) vs. Loyola Chicago (10)

Young is a longshot to play against Loyola Chicago. He suffered the third concussion of his career on March 1 and hasn't played since. He suffered two concussions in a two-week span last season.

The SIC score for the fifth-year senior forward is 16. The Pro Basketball Docs are not optimistic about his chances to play at any point in the tournament.

Zed Key - Ohio State (7) vs. Loyola Chicago (10)

Sophomore forward Zed Key suffered a right ankle injury on Feb. 27 and missed the team's next two games. He played just 7 minutes in the regular season finale and did not play in the conference tournament.

He will be available but may have trouble being effective with how much time he's missed recently. Key's SIC score is 78 for the opening round. Ohio State will likely have to rely on him more with Young out with a concussion. 

Yauhen Massalski - San Francisco (10) vs. Murray State (7)

The grad transfer and USF's leading rebounder should be good to go for the team's opening round matchup against the Murray State Racers. Massalski "banged knees" against BYU on March 5 and missed the team's game against Gonzaga.

However, USF head coach Todd Golden said Massalski will be available for the game and the Pro Basketball Docs expect him to play his full minutes. Massalski's SIC score is 89 and he should be reasonably effective.

Look out for live in-game injury insights from the Pro Basketball Docs at Sports Injury Central during the tournament!