Creighton point guard Mo Watson was carried off of the Cintas Center floor on Monday afternoon after an ugly-looking injury in the first half.
Watson drove the lane and landed on his left leg. He immediately grabbed the knee in clear distress:
This is the play where Mo Watson was injured. pic.twitter.com/GEvoevjjXs
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) January 16, 2017
The Bluejays would hold on to win a thrilling, hard-fought game, 72-67, without Watson. That’s impressive, and it means that they move into a tie for first place in the Big East with Villanova, but the story of this game was Watson.
According to a reporter at the game, Watson told head coach Greg McDermott that he “heard it pop”. Losing Watson to any significant injury would be catastrophic for the No. 8 Bluejays. Watson entered Monday averaging 13.4 points and a nation’s-best 8.8 assists. He’s been in the top ten of our Player of the Year Power Rankings all season long, is a clear-cut candidate for an all-american team and is the engine for the high-powered offense that has made Creighton a Final Four contender.
The injury may be somewhat controversial as well. Two minutes before the video clip above, Watson banged knees with a Xavier defender and had to be helped off of the floor. He was tested on the sideline and allowed to return to the game, albeit with a noticeable limp.
UPDATE: Greg McDermott told FS1 after the game that Watson’s ligaments are intact, but that they are concerned about the meniscus.
"We think the ligaments are solid, we're not sure about the meniscus."- @BluejayMBB Head Coach Greg McDermott gives an update on Mo Watson. pic.twitter.com/lJHhjzfjPt
— FS1 (@FS1) January 16, 2017
