UConn guard Solo Ball has a foot injury and will not practice Sunday as the Huskies prepare to face Michigan in the men's NCAA tournament championship game.
UConn coach Dan Hurley told reporters that Ball has "some type of a foot sprain" and is in a walking boot. His status is uncertain for Monday night's title game against the favored Wolverines, according to Hurley.
Hurley and Ball both said they'll follow the advice of UConn's medical staff for his availability and declined to explicitly say that he will play.
The best harbinger to Ball's availability might be that he still played 16 minutes after suffering the injury in the first half of UConn's Final Four victory Saturday over Illinois.
Another indicator of Ball's potential availability is that the Huskies made him available to the media Sunday.
"I couldn't tell," Hurley responded when asked whether Ball will play. "We'll know more as we get later in the day."
Ball said he suffered the injury when he got tangled with teammate Tarris Reed Jr. on a screen. The 6-foot-4 junior said that he got through the rest of the game "on adrenaline" and added that he was "feeling all right" Sunday.
"I'm leaving it up to the medical staff and doing everything I can to prepare for tomorrow," Ball said.
Hurley said he wasn't sure whether Ball would be able to undergo an MRI on Sunday because it's Easter.
Ball, the Huskies' third-leading scorer, is averaging 12.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists while starting all 38 games this season for UConn. During the second half Saturday, he played a key role as the only starter on the floor with four reserves, allowing rest for UConn's starters.
The injury came as a surprise to Hurley, who said he saw Ball in his walking boot at the Huskies' late-night meeting Saturday before being briefed by the staff on the foot sprain.
"I saw him actually in the boot first and then they told me," Hurley said.
Ball noted that his authoritative fast-break dunk, which boosted UConn's lead to eight with nearly four minutes remaining, came after the injury. A second-team All-Big East selection, he shook off a recent slump to score 13 points, shooting 3-of-7 from 3-point range, in the Huskies' 71-62 win over the Illini.
Ball hinted that he'd be able to play through the sprain Monday, saying that "pain is temporary" and that he has confidence in his ability to block it out.
"My adrenaline is through the roof," he said.
Ball said that after the injury, trainers treated his foot at halftime.
"I got it looked at, I got it retaped, just taped on top of it, just tried to move it around too, tie my shoes up a little tighter," he said. "But I knew it was going to hurt a little bit after the game, but I mean, I just got right to the rehab."
The injury comes as UConn starting point guard Silas Demary Jr. is close to full strength after suffering a high ankle sprain in the Big East tournament final. Demary was expected to be at nearly 90% against Illinois after missing the NCAA tournament opener against Furman and showing gradual improvement in the subsequent three games.
If Ball is unable to play Monday, senior guard Malachi Smith and junior wing Jayden Ross figure to see increased playing time for the Huskies, who were listed as a 6.5-point underdog against the Wolverines on Sunday morning.
Demary's status is more certain.
"I'm feeling fine," he said. "Fine as I've been the whole time, just doing what I can do with the medical staff every day to try to prepare myself to be ready for the game."
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