Vanderbilt is having a solid basketball season, but are missing some players. Mark Byington is now giving updates on the injured players.
Vanderbilt is coming off a one-point loss to Oklahoma on Saturday, falling 92-91. Still, they have had a solid season, going 19-4, and will be heading to the NCAA Tournament. They could be even stronger in the tournamnet when if they get injured players back. They have been without Frankie Collins for over a month and Duke Miles for three games.
Now, Mark Byington is giving updates on his injured players, according to Graham Baakko of OnSI.
“Frankie’s still doing his rehab, he’s still working. It’s hard to give a timetable. I wish it was closer. It was rehab after surgery, they said four to six weeks, and we’re at seven now. So, maybe there’s something there holding him back, but we’re not giving up on him,” Byington said regarding Collins.
Collins was averaging 7.8 points per game, but with 4.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. He was one of the better defensive players on the team, and the defense has not been the same with him out of the lineup.
“It’s hard to give a timetable, but he’s doing great. He started jogging and he’s motivated,” Byington added about Miles. “I think it bothers him as much as anybody he can’t be out there tonight. He’ll be back as soon as he possibly can. I don’t doubt that with him. He played on a bad knee as long as he could. He got it fixed and he’ll come back as fast as he can.”
Miles was second on the team with 16.6 points per game while averaging three rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.8 steals per game this season. He has now played in just 18 of the team's 23 games. Not only are the injuries bringing down the starting lineup, but they are also hurting the depth of the team. That is where Oklahoma thrived, hitting on the lack of depth and winning the game.
Vanderbilt will return to the court on Tuesday against Auburn. The regular season concludes on Mar. 7 against Tennessee, hopefully with both players back in the lineup.
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