Kentucky's Noel to undergo MRI; X-rays come back negative
Kentucky standout Nerlens Noel was scheduled for an MRI on his injured left knee after a horrific collision with a basket support during Tuesday night's game against Florida in Gainesville, Fla.
Noel crashed to the floor and screamed in pain while holding the knee after the knee appeared to twist and buckle. He was trying to catch Florida's Mike Rosario from behind on a breakaway and block his shot in the second half when his momentum carried him into the padding underneath the hoop.
X-rays taken at a Gainesville hospital on Tuesday night showed no fractures or breaks. Noel, a freshman center, returned with the team to Lexington, where the MRI was to be completed Wednesday, team spokesman DeWayne Peevy said, according to USA Today.
Teammates carried Noel off the court toward the locker room after he stayed on the floor for several minutes while medical personnel attended to him. The 6-foot-10 Noel had eight points, six rebounds and three blocked shots when he went down.
"His leg was wobbly, knee looked dislocated," Florida's Patric Young told the Palm Beach Post. "It was gruesome. I don't want to think about it."
The Wildcats lost 69-52 to the sixth-ranked Gators, snapping Kentucky's five-game winning streak.
But the bigger loss could be Noel, the country's leading shot-blocker at 4.5 per game, a national defensive player of the year candidate and a potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
"It's unfortunate and I just hope and pray that he's OK, but we're going to see." Kentucky coach John Calipari said after the game.
