Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Broken foot sidelines UConn forward Tyler Olander for season finale

Tyler Olander, Justin Jackson

Connecticut’s Tyler Olander, right, scores over Cincinnati’s Justin Jackson during the second half of Connecticut’s 73-66 overtime victory in an NCAA college basketball game in Hartford, Conn., Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

AP

The beneficiaries of good health for much of this season, the Connecticut Huskies have managed to win 19 games in Kevin Ollie’s first season despite having a roster depleted by NBA Draft entries and transfers due to their being ineligible for postseason play.

But down the stretch the good fortune has run out for Ollie’s program on the injury front, as Shabazz Napier (foot), Omar Calhoun (wrist) and Niels Giffey (finger) have all dealt with health issues.

With Giffey already ruled out for UConn’s season finale on Saturday against Providence the Huskies will be without another rotation player, as junior forward Tyler Olander is out after breaking his left foot in a loss at South Florida on Wednesday night.

Olander’s certainly had his bouts with inconsistency, but the fact of the matter is that he’s UConn’s most experienced front court player after both Alex Oriakhi (Missouri) and Roscoe Smith (UNLV) transferred and Andre Drummond entered the 2012 NBA Draft.

Olander played 18 minutes on Thursday, finishing the game with two points and five rebounds, and on the season he’s averaging 4.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

With Olander out the Huskies will rely even more on freshman Phil Nolan, who has seen more playing time with Enosch Wolf suspended indefinitely after being arrested last month. Nolan scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in UConn’s loss at Cincinnati on Saturday but was quiet against South Florida, finishing with two points and six rebounds.

With Olander and Giffey out and Napier a game-time decision UConn doesn’t have much depth entering their season finale against a Providence team that is currently playing its best basketball of the season.

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.