Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn exits Iowa State game with ankle injury
Wisconsin Badgers guard Chucky Hepburn went down with an apparent ankle injury with just under five minutes to play in the first half of a second round NCAA Tournament game against Iowa State on Sunday. Hepburn rolled his left ankle during a defensive sequence against the Cyclones and stayed on the floor for several moments after.
He had to be helped off the floor, as Iowa State trainers took him back to the locker room to be evaluated.
Hepburn had yet to score at the time of his exit, having shot 0-for-3 from the floor. He did, however, have two rebounds. Wisconsin entered halftime down 27-26 against the Cyclones as Brad Davidson and Johnny Davis combined for 19 points.
Although the Badgers were holding out hope that Chucky Hepburn would be able to return from the ankle injury in the second half, it didn’t seem likely. That fear proved true as TNT’s AJ Ross confirmed that he was out the remainder of the game shortly after the beginning of the second half.
Badgers coach Greg Gard said in a halftime interview that the team will have to adjust to the injury, as it has with others throughout the regular season.
“We’ve played through a lot of injuries and illnesses all year, so we’ve had different guys out at different times, including Chucky,” Gard said on the sidelines. “We’re a team, so we’ll have to see how he’s doing at halftime and rally around him.”
On the season, Hepburn started 31 games for the Badgers, earning Big Ten All-Freshman honors at the conclusion of the regular season. He averaged 8.2 points per game and a team-high 2.4 assists in his first college season.
The Badgers trailed Iowa State by a score of 27-26 at the break after a back-and-forth first half. Guards Brad Davison and Johnny Davis combined for 19 of their points in the half, but will certainly need some help to finish things out in the second. Neither team led by more than five points in the early going, so we’ll see if either side creates any separation in the second.