Make sure to stay updated on every team's significant injuries before betting on the first weekend of games.
Some players listed here will be extremely impactful to their teams and the line.
Here's my NCAA Tournament injury update outlining who's in and out for brand-name teams like Duke, Texas Tech and more.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Grant Nelson
Alabama already lost Latrell Wrightsell Jr. earlier this year (Achilles), and now Grant Nelson is questionable for the first round (knee).
That said, the most recent report on Nelson is that he should be back for the Round of 32.
I don’t need to speak to Nelson’s impact. He’s among the most versatile scoring big men in the country.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Adou Thiero, Boogie Fland
Now, this is interesting.
Adou Thiero undoubtedly matters. I think he’s arguably the Hogs’ best offensive weapon, and he’s nabbing nearly two steals per game on the other end.
John Calipari has confirmed that Thiero is out for the Razorbacks’ first-round matchup against Kansas (knee), which is a huge blow.
Boogie Fland was Arkansas’ top scorer in the nonconference, but he hasn’t played since mid-January (hand).
The Razorbacks found their stride after he went out, as the defense improved mightily in his absence, and everyone found their role — they were 0-5 in SEC play with Fland and 9-6 without him.
Fland has started practicing again, and he was looking spry at shootaround on Wednesday.
The on-off splits are very favorable for Fland, and he was averaging 15 points, six assists and two steals per game before his injury.
His shot-making would be welcomed against the Jayhawks’ compact defense, and the Hogs need depth, but are we sure his return is a good thing?
Baylor Bears
Langston Love
Big man Josh Ojianwuna (knee) is done for the season, which has been an enormous blow to Baylor’s frontcourt size and defense — the Bears run very small at the four and five without him.
Guard Langston Love (ankle) has been in and out of the lineup all year but is expected to return for the Bears’ First Round matchup against Mississippi State.
Love is a key ball-screen initiator and shooter in Scott Drew’s spread pick-and-roll scheme.
Clemson Tigers
Dillon Hunter
Guard Dillon Hunter (hand) is out for the rest of the season after suffering an injury against SMU in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
He's a good bench wing, and his loss hurts Clemson’s depth.
Duke Blue Devils
Cooper Flagg, Maliq Brown
The Cooper Flagg (ankle) and Maliq Brown (shoulder) injuries loom large over the Blue Devils and the East Region.
As of now, I feel confident that Flagg will be back for Friday’s first-round matchup. If not, he should be back for the Round of 32.
The Brown injury is more complicated. He re-dislocated his left shoulder, and Scheyer's last update was that there was “no expectation of him playing anytime soon.”
That said, Duke podcaster Jason Evans recently reported that guys inside the building were more optimistic about a potential tournament return.
Flagg is obviously the nation’s most valuable player. Still, don’t sleep on Brown, who is arguably the best and most switchable defender on the Duke roster. Those two lead the team in EvanMiya’s DBPR metric (Flagg at +4.64, Brown at +3.35).
Houston Cougars
J'Wan Roberts
The J’Wan Roberts injury is potentially massive for Houston and the Midwest Region.
Roberts missed the final two games of the Big 12 Tournament (ankle). He’s a massive low-post two-way presence and a monster on the boards, two things Kelvin Sampson’s scheme requires.
That said, he’s expected to be back for the first round.
But I’m not convinced he’ll be 100%, even if he says otherwise.
Iowa State
Keshon Gilbert, Tamin Lipsey
Tamin Lipsey missed the Cyclones’ Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal game against BYU (groin). Reports from The Gazette and the Des Moines Register indicate he should play in the Cyclones’ Round of 64 game against Lipscomb.
Unfortunately for the Clones, backcourt mate Keshon Gilbert has been confirmed out for the NCAA Tournament (strain).
That sucks for Iowa State. Gilbert averages 13 points per game but is arguably Iowa State’s most impactful point-of-attack defender in a ball-screen-blitz scheme — he leads the team in EvanMiya’s DBPR rating (+2.97).
Kentucky Wildcats
Lamont Butler
The Wildcats have already lost Jaxson Robinson (wrist) and Kerr Kriisa (foot) for the season.
But could Lamont Bulter (shoulder) return like a Phoenix rising from the ashes?
Reports indicate yes.
Butler is a good distributor (team-leading five assists per game).
Still, Kentucky is infinitely better defensively when he and Otega Oweh are on the court together. The Wildcats are a tad soft on that end of the court, but an Oweh-Butler backcourt can wreak havoc with on-ball pressure at the point of attack.
Louisville Cardinals
Reyne Smith
Reyne Smith (ankle) hasn’t played since March 5th, but he should return for the Cardinals’ First Round matchup against Creighton.
Smith is a good spacing-and-shooting guard and fits perfectly in Pat Kelsey’s perimeter-oriented motion offense. He holds the team's highest on-off offensive rating split (+15.5).
Memphis Tigers
Tyrese Hunter
Tyrese Hunter (foot) is likely out for the Tigers' first-round matchup against Memphis.
I’m worried about his status for the rest of the tournament. His absence mostly hurts the Tigers on the defensive end, where he’s a rock-solid switchable guard defender at the point of attack.
Missouri Tigers
Mark Mitchell
Missouri’s offense is built around its wings scoring in the open court and identifying mismatches in the half-court.
In that light, losing Mark Mitchell (knee) and his 14 points per game would be a huge blow to the Tigers.
He missed the Tigers’ SEC Tournament quarterfinal game against Florida. But it seems he’ll be ready to roll for their first-round tournament game against Drake — a team with plenty of exploitable one-on-one interior defenders.
Oklahoma Sooners
Sam Godwin
Oklahoma center Sam Godwin (knee) hasn’t played since March 5.
He’s on a day-to-day basis, and I haven’t seen any updates.
The Sooners should be fine without him. They still have Mohamed Wague, Luke Northweather and Jalon Moore in the frontcourt rotation.
Texas Tech
Chance McMillian, Darrion Williams
Texas Tech’s offense is a firecracker when all the pieces are clicking. But Chance McMillian (upper body) is a key dribble creator, and Darrion Williams (foot) is a key short-roll and pick-and-pop creator.
It looks like Williams will be ready to roll tomorrow.
But McMillian is still a game-time decision.
