Will the Stars Return on Saturday in Redhawks/Mavs Matchup?
Cam Tyson and Phillip Russell are dealing with injuries. Will they return on Saturday?
There it was…late in the ball game at Tarleton. UT Arlington guard Phillip Russell lifted, hit a 3-pointer from the wing and then the worst case scenario took place.
Russell came down on Devon Barnes’ foot and laid on the floor in agony. A sprained left ankle is not what the doctor ordered for the SEMO transfer who just became eligible after an injunction against the NCAA was upheld allowing two-time Division I transfers to be eligible immediately.
Russell hasn’t played in a ball since that fateful Thursday night at Wisdom Gym. Russell finished the night with 11 points in a 78-76 loss to the Texans.
Since becoming eligible on Dec. 16, Russell is averaging a team-high 15.0 points per game. However, in the five games Russell has played, the Mavs are 1-4. Sure, the Mavs played Texas Tech and Texas in that span. So, let’s not read too much into that.
On the flip side, Russell’s teammate, DaJuan Gordon, returned from a knee contusion suffered in that same Tarleton game. Gordon had a team-high 22 points in the Mavs wire-to-wire win over Utah Valley on Thursday.
Will Cam Tyson Play for the Redhawks?
Sure, Seattle U had a chance to win the game on Thursday in Edinburg against UTRGV. Sure, Alex Schumacher stepped up in a big way with 25 points. Sure, the Redhawks have other shooters on the floor when one of the best 3-point shooters in the WAC is out of the game.
However, the win didn’t come in a wild 81-80 overtime loss on Thursday at UTRGV.
Creighton transfer John Christofilis had just 11 points on Thursday. And it was Schumacher who really carried the Redhawks in the second half in Edinburg.
What Chris Victor and the Redhawks missed was the presence of Cam Tyson on the floor in the second half.
Tyson sprained his left ankle going after a rebound midway through the first half and despite coming back on the floor later in the half, Tyson did not return in the second half. Tyson was sitting on the bench with an ice bag around that left ankle while cheering on his teammates.
To put this in perspective, Tyson averages 17.3 points per game and shoots 37 percent from 3-point range. He is the guy that Chris Victor draws up a play for in order to win a game late.
So, Tyson played just 16 minutes, had just two points, and the Redhawks lost by one on the road…on a really wild shot, as well.
In a game that could turn out to be a shootout at College Park Center on Saturday afternoon, will two key players, who both average over 15 points per game, take the floor to help their respective teams?
Tune in on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. CT to catch what could turn out to be a wild one in Arlington.
The wild wild WAC. Another crazy one. With UTA beating Seattle , who knows. It’s GCU and everyone else is just ,,, ok.