WATCH: Injured Miami forward Norchad Omier practicing ahead of NCAA Tournament game

Miami got some good news on Wednesday, just days before taking on Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. Forward Norchad Omier, who hurt his ankle in the ACC Tournament against Duke, was seen practicing on Wednesday with the Hurricanes.

Omier has been a key cog all season for a Miami team that won 25 games. He’s third on the team in points per game with 13.6 and leads the team in rebounds with 9.7 a contest.

There has not been an official update on Omier and his status, but his return to practice with a day to spare is an encouraging sign that he can be on the court and playing meaningful minutes as Miami hopes to make a run in March.

Omier went out with apparent right ankle injury during first half vs. Duke in ACC Tournament

In the first minute of their ACC semifinal matchup against Duke, the Miami Hurricanes took a colossal injury blow. While soaring for a rebound following a missed free throw by Duke’s Mark Mitchell, Omier came down awkwardly, falling to the ground in immediate pain.

In the replay following the injury, you can see Omier come down on the foot of Duke center Derek Lively II. The Miami star stayed down on the ground for several minutes. After a while, Omier was helped to the bench and evaluated, later leaving the bench for the locker room. Unfortunately, it was not underneath his own power.

It is unclear right now the severity of Omier’s injury. But things do not look good for Miami. Currently, the 6-foot-7 forward is back in the Hurricanes locker room being evaluated. And to make it to the locker room, Omier had to be helped to the back, as he was unable to put pressure on his injured leg.

ESPN’s Holly Rowe reported that Omier would not return against Duke.