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How bad is the injury Montana’s Mathias Ward is dealing with?

Mathias Ward, Paul Egwuonwu

Montana forward Mathias Ward, right, jumps in front of Montana State center Paul Egwuonwu (4) for a score under the basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Missoula, Mont., Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Albans)

AP

Bad news coming out of Montana today as it seems that the Grizzlies leading scorer may miss some time.

Matthias Ward, who averages 14.8 points this season, apparently injured his foot in a win against Idaho State.

On a Tuesday radio show, head coach Wayne Tinkle said that Ward will be undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury and the length of time that he’ll be out.

This is a big deal for Montana, who currently sits at 15-1 in the Big Sky and has become one of the most dangerous mid-major programs in the country.

Big Sky Basketball explains:

Ward is Montana’s leading scorer at 14.8 PPG, and he is perhaps the best mid-range jump shooter in the Big Sky. But that is only part of the point. The larger point is that Montana is already painfully thin in the frontcourt. Ward itself isn’t really a true big man (he is not a very good rebounder), but there other best options upfront are Mike Weisner and Spencer Coleman, who are probably better suited to play the three.

If Ward is out awhile, such as for next week’s road games or even longer, Montana could be in trouble. Without Ward, they will likely play even smaller, with guys likeSpencer Coleman or Mike Weisner playing some at the five, along with four guards. They won’t really have a choice.

Bottom line, this could be a game changer at the end of the Big Sky season.


That’s not good.

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.