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New Mexico point guard to miss remainder of season due to ankle injury

Cullen Neal

Cullen Neal

AP

Shortly after New Mexico’s 66-53 win over No. 24 Colorado State on Saturday, the news many expected to hear became official. Sophomore point guard Cullen Neal, who hasn’t played since the Puerto Rico Tipoff in November after injuring his right ankle, will sit out the remainder of the season and apply for a medical redshirt according to Geoff Grammer of the Albuquerque Journal.

Neal partially tore tendons in his right ankle in the second half of New Mexico’s loss to Boston College on November 20, and his exit from the lineup has led to senior guard Hugh Greenwood moving into the role of primary ball-handler. Prior to the injury Greenwood was expected to spend the majority of his time off the ball for the Lobos, who are currently 10-4 overall and 2-0 in Mountain West play.

Per NCAA rules, had Cullen Neal played after the 15th game of the season, which is Tuesday at San Diego State, he wouldn’t have been able to pursue a medical hardship waiver (the official term for the more commonly used medical redshirt). UNM’s compliance office and the Neal family, including mother Janet and Craig Neal, have met on multiple occasions since the injury to ensure they have all the proper documentation to file for the waiver, though there is no timetable on when the NCAA will actually rule on the request.

Without Neal the Lobos have tightened things up defensively in order to account for the comparative lack of scoring, and the results thus far have been positive. New Mexico has won seven of its last eight games, and Saturday both Sam Logwood (15 points) and Devon Williams (13) scored in double figures.

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