Citizen Staff Writer
UA BASKETBALL
STEVE RIVERA
srivera@tucsoncitizen.com
Will Jordan Hill be good to go on Thursday?
University of Arizona interim basketball coach Russ Pennell listed Hill as “day to day” but wasn’t sure about Hill’s availability for Thursday’s game with California.
Chase Budinger saw Hill in class and said Hill told him “it was one of the worst ankle sprains he’s ever had. It swelled up pretty bad on Sunday.”
Hill injured his ankle in the second half of Saturday’s 83-78 loss to Washington. He returned near the end of the game.
Budinger said Hill planned on getting as much treatment on the ankle as possible and hopes to be close to “90 percent.”
Pennell said the treatment “is going real well” and he’s hopeful Hill will be ready to play Thursday.
Budinger admitted he’s “beat up,” and said he and many others are “running on adrenaline” these days.
Budinger says he’s aching just about everywhere. He got poked in the eye and hit on the nose Saturday. It came two days after getting hit in the thigh.
“But every team is beat up,” he said. “Every team is going to have little dings here and there. . . . That’s just how a season is.”
Pennell said it’s been a long year and the core of UA’s lineup has “played a lot of minutes,” which means more injuries and fatigue.
“I still don’t know if we’ve had a lot of choice in that,” Pennell said about having players on the court so much because depth has been a big problem. “Certainly playing those guys many minutes, you’d like to give them some minutes (to rest) – but I don’t know how.”
Playing 40 minutes – or close to it all year – has been the norm for Budinger and Nic Wise. Budinger averages 37.4 minutes per game while Wise is at 36.3.
Thursday night against Washington State, it appeared Wise suffered a severe lower back injury, but he bounced back and started Saturday. He said he was feeling fine Monday.
“We do play 40 minutes a game, but that’s what you come to college for (to play),” he said.
“You’re going to have nicks no matter what.”
UA BASKETBALL THIS WEEK
Thursday: California (21-8, 10-6) at Arizona (18-11, 8-8), 8:30 p.m. TV: FSNA Radio: 1290 AM, 107.5 FM
Saturday: Stanford (16-11, 5-11) at Arizona, 5:30 p.m. TV: FSNA Radio: 1290 AM, 107.5 FM