Miami center Reggie Johnson out for East regional, but 'could come back' for Final Four
Injured Miami center Reggie Johnson will not play for the Hurricanes this week in the East regional, but a source close to the team said he "could come back" if the team advances to the Final Four.
The school issued a release Tuesday afternoon saying Johnson would not travel with the team to Washington, D.C., where Miami will play Marquette on Thursday. The Associated Press reported, via a source, that Johnson had surgery on his meniscus Tuesday.
If Miami defeats the Golden Eagles it will play the winner of Indiana and Syracuse on Saturday for the right to go to the Final Four. If the Hurricanes win two games, they hope to have Johnson back in uniform for the national semifinals in Atlanta April 6.
[Bracket busted? Try again with Second Chance Tourney Pick'em!]
Johnson has had an injury-plagued season. The 6-foot-10, 292-pound senior missed nine games earlier in the season, eight of them after fracturing a thumb.
After returning from that injury, his contributions have been reduced, as other big men have stepped forward their production. But Johnson was a forceful rebounder in Miami's victories over Pacific and Illinois, grabbing 15 boards in those two games. His presence will be missed against Marquette, a fierce rebounding team.
For the season, Johnson is averaging 6.7 points and 7 rebounds per game.
Memorable Moments on Yahoo! Sports:
Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
• Tiger Woods wins at Bay Hill, regains world No. 1 ranking | Slideshow
• Pat Forde: Breaking down the Sweet 16
• Dan Wetzel: Jerry Sandusky's prison interview clips were pointless, creepy
• K.D. follows LeBron's lead, bear hugs fan who hits half-court shot
