SMU's B.J. Edwards to sit in First Four: Star won't play after Mustangs said he would
SMU announced last week that Edwards was "expected to return" and be available for the NCAA Tournament
SMU will be without star guard B.J. Edwards for its First Four matchup against Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday due to an ankle injury. Edwards, who is SMU's third-leading scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game, will miss his sixth consecutive game as his team tries to advance to the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The news of Edwards being ruled out comes five days after the school put out a statement on social media that Edwards was "expected to return" and be available for the NCAA Tournament, if the Mustangs were selected. Of course, SMU was tabbed as one of the "Last Four In" the field alongside Texas, NC State and Miami University.
This is the second consecutive year there's been drama centered around potential player availability in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Iowa State announced that star guard Keshon Gilbert would miss the NCAA Tournament just moments after earning a No. 3 seed. Gilbert, who was Iowa State's leading scorer, missed the final game of the Big 12 Tournament and didn't play in the NCAA Tournament.
Communication between teams and the selection committee regarding injuries is not uncommon -- both in terms of transparency and the lack thereof. Injuries can help or hurt teams depending on how the selection committee views each individual situation.
Case and point? West Virginia was left out of the NCAA Tournament last year due to a major player injury. Committee Vice Chair Bubba Cunningham told CBS that WVU's exclusion was made because star Tucker DeVries, who was injured and missed the final three months of the season, would not be available.
The "First Four Out" of this year's NCAA Tournament were Auburn, Oklahoma, San Diego State and Indiana.
