PHILADELPHIA — Tyler Bilodeau did not sound like someone on the verge of returning when approached at his locker.
“It’s still pretty sore and stuff,” the UCLA forward told The California Post of the sprained right knee that has sidelined him for more than a week, “but just trying to take it day by day.”
Bruins coach Mick Cronin said his leading scorer would have to check several boxes to play against UConn in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena after having missed his team’s last 2 ½ games.
“I got to see him moving with confidence,” Cronin said. “I got to watch him and make sure he’s not doubting his stability and his health on his knee. At the end of the day, I got to do whatever I think is right for him. So we’ll see how he looks [Sunday]. That’s what happened [Friday]. He looked great on Thursday but did not on Friday.”
Bilodeau went down with the knee injury before halftime against Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament. Tests revealed no structural damage, and he returned to practice last week.
With Xavier Booker taking Bilodeau’s place in the starting lineup and contributing 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, the Bruins held on for a 75-71 victory over UCF in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“It was awesome,” Bilodeau said. “I was so proud of the guys; great team win, great defense. I thought it was an awesome win. Now on to the next thing, right? Getting ready for UConn, so I’m looking forward to that one.”
The only certainty is that Bilodeau hopes to play.
“Yeah, of course,” he said. “I mean, this is March Madness. I want to play. It’s tough sitting on the bench, but that’s all you can do. Just trying to support my team.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
