The No. 11 Butler Bulldogs will be without center Andrew Smith this week after he was ruled out the next two games with an abdominal injury, ESPN reported on Monday.
Andrew Smith injury: Butler center out 2 games with abdominal injury
The Butler Bulldogs will be without their starting center this week after Andrew Smith suffered an abdominal injury on Saturday.
Michael Hickey
Smith was injured in a 59-56 win over George Washington on Saturday, Feb. 9, after scrambling for a loose ball. Butler coach Brad Stevens told Fox 59 that he doesn’t expect his center to be out for too long.
“He was in the middle of going for a loose ball and just got hit in the abdomen. I’ve seen the clip, I’ve seen it on film. (He) doubled over a little bit but didn’t show me anything that he was hurt and never said anything about being hurt until after the game,” said Stevens when asked about when the incident happened. “He got it taken care of. He is in great shape and will be great long-term, so we just have to figure out a way to play without him this week.”
The senior center has been a cog in the Butler machine the past four years, only missing two games in his college career. He is the team's second-leading scorer at 11.4 points and the second-leading rebounder with 5.4 per game. Without Smith, the Bulldogs will run a much smaller lineup, with sophomore Kameron Woods or junior Erik Fromm taking his minutes.
The school hasn’t released any additional details of the injury at the behest of Smith’s family. Smith received medical attention in Indianapolis on Monday and will be re-evaluated after a week. He will miss games against Charlotte on Wednesday and Fordham on Saturday.
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