Many sources are now reporting that Rayvonte Rice, Illinois basketball’s best player this season, has suffered an injury to his hand or wrist in practice and will miss significant time.
CBS Sports was the first with an article on the injury, and reporters Dave Wischnowsky and Gary Parrish were both among the first to tweet about the injury. The News-Gazette‘s Marcus Jackson has confirmed Rice suffered an injury. According to Wischnowsky, the senior could face 6 weeks off after surgery, meaning Rice might be available for the final 5 games of the regular season.
This year Rice is averaging 17.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He has started all 15 games for Illinois (10-5, 0-2). John Groce will have a regularly scheduled press conference at noon and should provide updates and further confirmation of the injury. Any official word from the school will come from the team’s twitter account, @illinihoops.
