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The Arizona Wildcats will have had two weeks between games when they open Pac-12 play against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Jan. 4, giving them a chance to regroup and get healthy.
ASU cannot say the same.
Sun Devils center Romello White suffered a right ankle injury Saturday against Texas Southern, possibly putting his status in doubt for next week’s rivalry game in Tucson.
Following the game Bobby Hurley said said he wanted to wait a couple of days to give an update on junior forward Romello White's ankle injury so he could see what was his availability in practice would be.
— DevilsDigest.com (@DevilsDigest) December 28, 2019
It would be a big loss, quite literally, for the Sun Devils if White cannot give it a go.
The junior entered Saturday averaging 12.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game and had been on a tear of late, averaging 14.7 points and 13.7 rebounds over his last six games, shooting an absurd 72.7 percent from the field.
The Wildcats have notoriously struggled to rebound this season, so not having to deal with White would certainly change the dynamic of the game. ASU otherwise is a poor rebounding team, ranking 221st in the country in total rebounding percentage.
Even before White’s injury, KenPom only gave ASU a 14 percent chance of beating Arizona.