Latrell Wrightsell Jr. injury update: Alabama guard feels '100%' for Final Four
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. sounds like someone who plans on playing in the Final Four Saturday night. The Alabama guard told reporters he feels “100%” ahead of the matchup against UConn.
Wrightsell has missed time with a head injury as the Crimson Tide rattled off a run to Phoenix. He said he has “passed a few of the tests already” and still has “to pass a couple more” before being cleared to play in Saturday’s game, providing some optimism about his availability.
Wrightsell returned to practice earlier this week, head coach Nate Oats said, which was a big step toward getting back on the court for game action.
“Today was the first day Wrightsell was able to practice,” Oats said. “He was limited in what he could do but glad he was out there. He’s got day-to-day evaluations. Based on how tomorrow morning’s evaluation goes, we’ll see where he goes the rest of the week. Our hopes are that he’s going to play on Saturday.”
Latrell Wrightsell last played in the second-round against Grand Canyon, scoring just two points in 11 minutes. Getting hit in the head near the Alabama bench kept him on the ground before quickly being ruled out in the first-half.
The Crimson Tide face quite a task in the Final Four, facing a UConn team that has yet to allow 60 points in a tournament game, and in the Elite Eight against Illinois, opened up a 30-0 run to start the second half. Oats knows his team is the underdog, but embracing that mentality, especially considering the Tide have been dealing with it the whole tournament.
“Nobody’s gonna pick us to win,” Oats said. “We’re kind of playing with house money a little bit, if you will. We weren’t supposed to beat Clemson. We weren’t supposed to beat North Carolina. A lot of people were picking against us against Grand Canyon.
“… We’re not gonna be picked to win, I know that, but sometimes the best team, the one that’s picked, doesn’t always win. We were the underdog against Carolina – not as big as we are now – but we figured out a way to win. I don’t think our guys are gonna relax to the point where they’re not gonna play hard and be ready to play. We played hard these last four games.”