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Just as the Arizona Wildcats got Rawle Alkins back and started to look like the top-five team they were projected to be, they were afflicted with more adversity.
Leading scorer Allonzo Trier exited with a left knee injury in Arizona’s 83-53 win over the North Dakota State Bison on Monday and did not return.
Arizona coach Sean Miller seemed optimistic about the severity, believing Trier suffered “some form of a bone bruise,” but Miller acknowledged Arizona won’t know more until Tuesday.
“If it’s more than that it would have happened because he collided with another guy’s knee,” Miller said after the game. “It’s scary for a player when that happens. It doesn’t feel right, but we’re hoping for some good news. It seems to be positive, but we’ll know more tomorrow.”
Leading 60-31 with less than 10 minutes left in regulation, Trier banged knees with NDSU’s Paul Miller as the latter made a move toward the basket.
The junior guard immediately fell to the ground and appeared to be in significant pain as he repeatedly slapped the floor. Trainers helped Trier to the locker room, and he eventually took a seat on the Wildcats’ bench with ice on his knee.
Here is the video of the collision:
Here is how Allonzo Trier injured his left knee. He was helped to the locker room with a pretty bad limp. pic.twitter.com/ASi3sFW4qg
— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) December 19, 2017
Trier had 15 points and four assists on 5-8 shooting before exiting.
Arizona turned in one of its most complete performances of the season Monday, but that hardly seems to matter now as losing Trier for any period of time would be a significant blow to a team that has won six straight as Pac-12 play nears.
It would also be unfortunate for Trier who said the prospect of playing a full season was “probably the only reason” he returned to Arizona for his junior season.
He missed several games as a freshman because of a broken hand, then was suspended for 19 games as a sophomore after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
When asked if Trier’s latest setback could sideline him long-term like the other two did, Miller said, “I don’t know. That’s a heck of a question. Three months, two months, four, five, I’m not sure. Could be one day. We’re going to have to take a look at it. We’ll know more tomorrow.”
Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire