No. 24 Maryland will be without Michal Cekovsky for the remainder of the season after the junior center fractured his left ankle Sunday during the Terrapins’ 71-60 loss at Wisconsin.
The 7-foot-1 Cekovsky sustained the injury after he blocked a shot with four minutes remaining in Madison, Wis. The team disclosed the severity of the injury on Monday afternoon after he underwent an MRI.
Surgery will be scheduled soon, but there is no timetable in place yet or no announcement of how long the recovery will take.
Cekovsky battled lower-body injuries all season but was just starting to get regular playing time before the latest malady. He had 10 points against Wisconsin at the time of the injury.
“I feel badly for Ceko as he has endured a number of injuries throughout the season,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said in a press release. “It felt like he was really starting to turn the corner and his best basketball was ahead of him. We anticipate a full recovery for next season and we will be there to support him through the rehabilitation process.”
With the loss, the Terrapins (22-5, 10-4 Big Ten) fell behind first-place Wisconsin and Purdue in the Big Ten standings.
In 17 games this season, Cekovsky averaged 7.6 points and 2.8 rebounds.
Maryland plans to make up for the loss of depth with Damonte Dodd playing more productive minutes and Ivan Bender getting more time on the court.
Maryland’s first game without Cekovsky will be Wednesday at home against Minnesota. The Terrapins play three of their final four Big Ten regular-season games at the Xfinity Center.
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