Kansas big man Udoka Azubuike is out indefinitely for the preseason No. 1 ranked Jayhawks after spraining his right ankle significantly on Tuesday night against Wofford. Azubuike, the team's leading shot-blocker and second-leading rebounder, was playing more than 20 minutes per game before going down midway through the first half. He did not return to the game.
It's unclear just how long Azubuike will be out for the Jayhawks, who are ranked No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25 and No. 1 in the daily CBS Sports Top 25 And 1, improved to 7-0 on the season Tuesday with a 72-47 win over Wofford, but KU coach Bill Self said it would likely be for an indefinite amount of time.
"X-rays came back negative, but he is going to be out; meaning not day-to-day," Self said in his postgame press conference. "Hopefully we will have him back healthy, but we will wait and see. It was a very legitimate ankle sprain."
Azubuike sustained the injury at the 11:38 mark in the first half after coming down awkwardly following a contested shot on defense. Self, via The Kansas City Star, initially said the the injury was a high ankle sprain, but later clarified it was a severe ankle sprain.
"I think indefinitely would be the best way to put it," Self said. "It's probably going to be a while."
Azubuike is averaging 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game on the season. With his 7-foot-1 presence now sidelined, KU will likely slot Marcus Garrett into the power forward position and play Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson at center. Garrett has primarily played small forward this season for KU, so his move up a position may give five-star freshman Quentin Grimes an opportunity to play more minutes alongside Lagerald Vick and Devon Dotson in KU's backcourt.
