The holidays haven’t been kind to everyone, especially a trio of college basketball teams that suffered far more significant casualties last week than Ohio State’s loss of Evan Turner for eight weeks with a broken back:
Maurice Creek, Indiana » The freshman sensation and leading scorer (16.4 points per game) for the Hoosiers (6-6) was removed by stretcher and is set to undergo season-ending surgery after badly injuring his left knee in a win over Bryant on Monday. Not good news in what is supposed to be a strong year for the Big Ten.
Derrick Roland, Texas A&M » The Aggies’ (9-3) second-leading scorer went down with a gruesome compound fracture of his right leg at Washington that sparked comparisons to Joe Theismann’s career-ender with the Redskins. The outcome for Roland, a senior guard, may likely be the same, making his team’s hopes in the ultra-stacked Big 12 grim.
Dominique Archie, South Carolina » Contending in the Southeastern Conference and earning an NCAA bid will be difficult for the Gamecocks (8-3) without Archie (14.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg), their star forward, who was lost on November 22 and also is set for season-ending surgery on his right knee.
