Wow! Can you believe star Michigan State guard Kalen Lucas has been lost for the 2010 NCAA Tournament after tearing his Achilles tendon Sunday? What a nasty injury this is. I saw the replay and he went down without contact. He looked around to see if someone had accidentily kicked him but no one was there. This is always what happens when the achilles tears. The tendon was probably weak for some reason and one wrong movement lead to a complete rupture in half. He’ll have to undergo surgery to repair it and then rehab for approximately 6 months. Fortunately for him he has another year of college eligibility.
Another of Michigan State’s guards, Chris Allen, also has a foot injury which kept him out for all but four minutes of Sunday’s game. They called it a strained arch. It’s most likely a strain of a large ligament on the bottom of the foot called the Plantar Fascia. This isn’t nearly as bad as an achilles tear but it can be difficult to recover from quickly. Allen will probably have therapy 24/7 until their next game and be ready to play Friday against Northern Iowa. If he can’t go it will be a tall task for the Spartans to beat one of the tourney’s “Cinderella’s”. I know I didn’t expect any major injuries when filling out my bracket. I had Michigan State losing their next game to Kansas so a loss wouldn’t do too much harm to my bracket. Kansas’ loss was harmful enough.
One player’s misfortune is another’s opportunity. Korey Lucious, who went to grade school in my current home of Whitefish Bay, was the hero on Sunday against Maryland hitting the last second shot to send Michigan State to the sweet 16. The big question is can he step in and play consistent enough to lead his team to the Elite Eight. What Lucious probably can’t replace was Lucas’ leadership. I believe the Midwest bracket is wide open now with the 1, 3 and 4 seeds out and given MSU’s key loss and the fact that Kansas was ousted. Look out for the University of Northern Iowa, who beat overall number one seed Kansas to possibly make a run to the final four. However, never count out Michigan State’s coach Tom Izzo who has a National Championship to his credit, several Final Fours and a runner-up finish last year.
