The Athletic has live coverage of the First Four from 2026 Men’s March Madness.
Roster attrition is a factor during the postseason in any sport. Optimistically, college basketball’s shorter regular season should mean the title picture is less altered by injuries than, say, the NBA.
That is not necessarily the case this season, though. The injury bug has recently bitten two No. 1 seeds (Duke and Michigan), and a third (Arizona) played through a flurry of nagging injuries late in the season. Multiple All-Americans on dark-horse title contenders are out for the season.
Below is a repository of all the biggest injuries impacting the men’s NCAA Tournament. We have split them into two categories: Injuries worth monitoring (the players could or will return at some point during the tournament) and out for the season.
Injuries to monitor
Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II, Duke
Both Duke starters missed the ACC tournament. The Blue Devils managed to win that event regardless, but they might need some reinforcements to handle the competition they will see if they reach the Elite Eight and beyond.
Ngongba, out with a foot injury, is arguably the more valuable piece due to his defensive presence, elite finishing and sneaky-strong passing. Fortunately for the Blue Devils, he is also much closer to returning than Foster, though there is no certainty about his status for No. 1 Duke’s first-round game Thursday against No. 16 Siena as of yet.
Foster had surgery to repair a fracture in his foot suffered against North Carolina in the last regular-season game. It would be shocking if he returned before the Final Four, and even that would be a stretch. Coach Jon Scheyer labeled him out “indefinitely.”
Jaylin Stewart, UConn
Stewart started the first 10 games of the season for UConn but fell into more of a bench role before missing the final six games with an ailing knee injury. He is not a big scorer but affects the game in multiple ways with his activity and athleticism. The Huskies’ ceiling rises when he is on the court.
Coach Dan Hurley told reporters that “it’ll be close” for him to play against 15th-seeded Furman in the first round. Given that info, UConn fans can hope he’d be at or near full health should the No. 2 Huskies make the Sweet 16.
One other note: Silas Demary Jr., the starting point guard, is “in pretty good shape” after suffering a mild ankle sprain in the Big East tournament final. Expect him out there against Furman.
Braden Huff, Gonzaga
The skilled lefty forward has been out since early January after needing surgery on a torn meniscus. He has started to move around more and complete some light work on the court, but a return during the NCAA Tournament still appears far-fetched.
He is not even going through contact work yet, so a massive uptick in activity, even before the Final Four in more than two weeks, would be rather shocking.
Nolan Winter, Wisconsin
Winter reportedly almost played in the Big Ten semifinals against Michigan, and reports are highly promising about his likely return for the NCAA Tournament (including Winter’s declarations that he will be ready).
Though the fifth-seeded Badgers won at Purdue and nearly beat the Wolverines without him, Winter is vital: He has the best Net Rating on the team, per CBB Analytics, and Wisconsin’s defense is 12 points better per 100 possessions when he plays.
Christian Anderson and Lejuan Watts, Texas Tech
Both players exited the Red Raiders’ Big 12 tournament quarterfinal loss to Iowa State with injuries. Anderson’s slip on the LED court was probably the last straw for the much-maligned playing surface, and his groin injury is cause for alarm heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Meanwhile, Watts suffered a mild ankle sprain. Both players are expected to play in the first round against No. 12 Akron.
However, will they be at 100 percent? Anderson, who averages 18.9 points and 7.6 assists per game, is especially worth monitoring.
The Zips are a talented underdog with postseason experience.
Karter Knox, Arkansas
The skilled Arkansas wing has been on the shelf since Jan. 31 (a six-minute cameo on Valentine’s Day notwithstanding) due to a meniscus injury. He had surgery on that injury and likely needs fourth-seeded Arkansas to advance through the NCAA Tournament to mount a return.
Plus, the Hogs have no reason to force it: They have been rolling without him, including winning the SEC tournament.
Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville
The highly talented Brown missed the Cardinals’ final four games with lingering effects of a back injury that also kept him out of eight contests in December and January.
His status is alarmingly uncertain, though he hopes to return for No. 6 Louisville’s first-round clash with No. 11 South Florida.
Without Brown, the Cardinals’ perimeter players get slotted into different roles, with Ryan Conwell forced to carry much more of a playmaking load.
UCLA finished the season hot, and a healthy Donovan Dent is vital to its hopes of a deep tournament run. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA
Like Texas Tech, UCLA lost its star point guard and a key forward to injuries in its conference tournament. Dent had calf discomfort, while Bilodeau suffered a mild knee strain.
Fortunately, both players are reportedly good to go for the NCAA Tournament, and the Bruins’ late-season run of form could make them a threat to outperform their No. 7 seed.
Harry Wessels, Saint Mary’s
The Gaels’ starting center rolled his ankle in warmups before the WCC semifinals and managed just nine minutes in the loss to Santa Clara. With extended recovery time, he should be good to go for the NCAA Tournament.
Plus, the No. 7 Gaels can always rely on towering 7-foot-3 reserve Andrew McKeever, who registered a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) in 31 minutes with Wessels mostly sidelined.
B.J. Edwards, SMU
SMU lost four of its final five games with Edwards sidelined due to a foot issue. It also lost at California in the game where he suffered the injury. He is vital as both a playmaker and defender, allowing fellow Mustangs guards Boopie Miller and Jaron Pierre to focus more on scoring.
Before the selection show, SMU released a statement saying Edwards will be available for the NCAA Tournament, but the outlook has grown cloudier since then.
Coach Andy Enfield told reporters that he may not be 100 percent for the First Four clash with Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday, though “we expect him to help us.”
Others of note: Ethan Roberts (Penn), Tai’Reon Joseph (Prairie View A&M)
Out for the season
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Toppin tore his ACL in a loss at Arizona State on Feb. 17. Texas Tech badly misses his interior impact as a scorer, rebounder and defender, as his 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game are irreplaceable.
The Red Raiders went 3-3 without him to close the season, with the three victories being fueled by scorching perimeter shooting (37 of 82 from 3 in the three wins, 45.1 percent).
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina
The freshman missed the final eight games of the season, and his broken thumb will keep him out for the tournament as well.
UNC went 5-3 in his absence, notching encouraging wins over Louisville and Clemson, but the sixth-seeded Heels’ ceiling lowers without such a talented athlete anchoring the offense.
Wilson was dominant on the glass and an underrated playmaker for others, to go along with his adept post-up game and rim-rocking dunks.
Richie Saunders, BYU
BYU’s offense was structured around the three-pronged scoring trident of AJ Dybantsa, Robert Wright III and Saunders.
Without their sharpshooting wing, who tore his ACL on Feb. 14, the Cougars have become more limited on the offensive end, relying even more heavily on Dybantsa and Wright’s incredible one-on-one scoring.
The sixth-seeded Cougars are just 5-5 since Saunders went down in the opening minute against Colorado, underscoring how much they miss his impact and gravity.
L.J. Cason, Michigan
Michigan’s dynamic sixth man tore his ACL in late February, robbing the Wolverines of an explosive scorer and playmaker off the bench. Cason gave the offense a real jolt when he was at his best, and without him, Michigan’s margin for error is thinner.
The top-seeded Wolverines went 4-1 without him, but they did not win a game by more than 10 in his absence and looked far more mortal than they did for most of the Big Ten campaign.
Connor Essegian, Nebraska
The sharpshooting guard has been out since November. The fourth-seeded Cornhuskers have had plenty of time to restructure their identity and rotation without him, so this is not a needle-mover in March.
Carter Welling, Clemson
The Tigers lost Welling to a torn ACL during an ACC tournament win over Wake Forest, and though they knocked off North Carolina without him, that is a major blow to No. 8 Clemson’s overall ceiling.
Welling was a force on both ends of the court, a perfect fit in Brad Brownell’s high-low system and an impactful defender and rebounder around the rim.
Matthew Hodge, Villanova
Hodge started 29 games before suffering a torn ACL in a blowout loss at St. John’s on the final day of February. A skilled, stretchy forward, he helped space the court for Duke Brennan’s interior scoring and Acaden Lewis’ downhill driving.
Hodge had the second-best Net Rating on the roster, per CBB Analytics, and his absence could be a real detriment to No. 8 Villanova’s ability to score in the half court.
Divine Ugochukwu, Michigan State
The Spartans lost their complementary scoring guard, Ugochukwu, to a foot injury that required surgery in early February. He had started 12 of the final 13 games he played in, providing some vital playmaking and perimeter shooting alongside Jeremy Fears Jr.
Michigan State adjusted fairly well without him, amassing wins over Illinois, UCLA, Ohio State and Purdue. However, the third-seeded Spartans’ margin for error narrows because they become so reliant on Fears as both a scorer and creator.
Others: Evan Ipsaro (Miami, Ohio), Aaron Hunkin-Claytor (Hawaii)