ACC Roundup - Injury Updates
More bad news for the Wuffies
There are no ACC games Friday but there are significant developments when it comes to injuries.
Virginia’s news is basically good: Reece Beekman is going to get to rest some in December and should be good to go soon.
That’s great for Virginia. Beekman has become so critical that Tony Bennett has rebuilt the offense around him, moving away from the mover-blocker scheme in order to leverage Beekman’s abilities.
But he’s been dealing with an ankle issue and now a hamstring problem, so that has slowed him - and Virginia - down.
The Cavaliers have a huge game on the 17th against Houston. That’s a statement win - if they can do it - but it won’t be easy without Beekman.
The news for the Wolfpack is more grim.
Big man Dusan Mahorcic suffered a dislocated right patella in the win over Coppin State Tuesday and will require surgery.
That’s a tough break for NC State. Mahorcic has injected an element of toughness into that team that they really needed.
His minutes will go to sophomore Ernest Ross and grad student transfer DJ Burns. There’s a bit of ying and yang there size-wise: both are 6 -9 but Ross weighs 195 and Burns is a massive 275.
Ebenezer Dowuona is available as well but he struggled last year when filling in for Manny Bates, who was injured in the very first minute of the first game.
The Pack plays Miami on Saturday, and that may be a bit of a break because the ‘Canes are pretty small.
Virginia, meanwhile, is off until they play Houston on the 17th, which gives Beekman a nice glide path to rehab.
Keep in mind that Virginia has already beaten Baylor, Illinois and Michigan.
There is of course one other major injury, and that’s to UNC’s Armando Bacot. His shoulder is bothering him and he said this week that he has no idea when it will be better, but from the cheap seats, it doesn’t seem like it should be all that long.
Of course, Bacot is the one who is hurting, and as the old joke goes, a minor injury is what someone else has.
- Virginia, with a healthy Reece Beekman, is an order of magnitude better on offense
- Seven Questions for Virginia to Answer Before the Houston Showdown
- Hard-Earned Break Arrives for Unbeaten Hoos
- Exam break will give Virginia guard Reece Beekman time to heal
- NC State’s Mahorcic out indefinitely with knee injury
- NC State center Dusan Mahorcic to have surgery for dislocated right patella injury