"The Stack" 3-2-17
Kevin Durant is out at least four weeks after an MRI revealed an MCL sprain and a bone bruise in his left knee. He will be back for the postseason in all likelihood.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Stack is back on this Thursday and you can tell that March is in the air. What a great moment in Evanston, Illinois, last night where Northwestern beat Michigan 67-65 all but guaranteeing themselves an at –large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. We’ll have more college basketball talk as well as a couple of other things to get to as well so let’s get right to it and see what’s in “the stack” for today, Thursday, March 2nd:
Kevin Durant out indefinitely
It isn’t great news on the Kevin Durant injury front, but the injury could have been far worse. Durant is out at least four weeks after an MRI showed a sprained MCL and a bone bruise in his left leg the Golden State Warriors said on Wednesday. Missing a month hurts, but the good news for Durant and the Warriors is that Durant is likely to be back for the playoffs barring something unexpected. They can get him back for the end of the regular season so he can play a few games and prepare his body for the playoffs. At the end of the day, the Warriors are going to be just fine regardless if they hang onto the one seed or not. Currently they have a four game lead on the San Antonio Spurs. They should hang on. This team should still be favored to win the NBA Championship even if Durant is out. When Durant comes back in, it’s just an added bonus making this team more dangerous. I’m not telling you something you already don’t know. The Warriors will be fine. Durant escaped a major injury and now will just heal up for the postseason push.
Speaking of injuries, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is out for the rest of the year after an MRI revealed the center has a torn meniscus in his left knee. Embiid has been out since January 27th. He was playing really well for the 76ers this year and some considered him the Rookie of the Year. Doubt that will happen now. Embiid needs to stay healthy. He has dealt with too many injuries. The 76ers though should still keep him and try and build around him. Injuries though could derail that.
MAAC tournament preview
Is it Monmouth’s year? Last year, we thought it was. They were ousted by Iona in the championship game and just missed out on an at-large bid. As the MAAC tournament gets set to tip off today in Albany, New York, there are a lot of questions surround Monmouth and whether or not they can get the job done. Their hopes to get an at-large bid this year are far smaller than they were last year. They need to win this tournament. Iona isn’t as good as they were last year. St. Peter’s is the two seed so that is worth watching. Monmouth isn’t even as good as they were last year, but they will get the job done.
Predicted winner: Monmouth
Missouri Valley tournament preview
The MVC tournament is taking over St. Louis starting today. It all boils down to two teams, Wichita State and Illinois State. Wichita State is playing the better basketball between the two teams, but it almost seems like they need to win this tournament to guarantee themselves that they make the tournament. Can they make it as an at-large? I have my doubts. I resisted taking them to make the tournament this year, but I didn’t jump off the bandwagon. I’ve been on this team for a few years now. I just merely thought that losing Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet would make this a bit of a transition year. They crushed Illinois State by over 40 points in their last meeting. I think these two teams meet in the championship and Illinois State will get to the tournament as well, but it’s going to be Wichita State that knows for sure.
Predicted winner: Wichita State
Before we go, not much news on the NHL trade deadline yesterday. Jerome Iginla (yes he still plays) was one of the few household names that moved yesterday as he was traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Los Angeles Kings. Not much else to report. 18 minor trades made overall. Kind of quiet.
Coming up Friday: college basketball tournament previews plus other headlines from the world of sports
