Villanova guard Justin Moore is doubtful for the Big East men’s basketball tournament after suffering a severe ankle sprain over the weekend, coach Jay Wright announced on Twitter on Monday.
Moore went down in the first half of Saturday’s loss to Providence and needed to be helped off the court. He eventually went to the locker room and was ruled out for the game.
The 6-foot-4 sophomore has been a reliable scorer for Villanova the past two seasons, averaging 11.3 points as a freshman and 12.7 points this season. He’s averaging 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists this season.
Moore’s injury exacerbates Villanova’s backcourt woes entering the postseason. Starting point guard Collin Gillespie was lost for the season after suffering a torn ACL against Creighton on Wednesday. Gillespie was one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s best point guard. He started for the Wildcats the past three years after coming off the bench for Villanova’s 2018 national championship team as a freshman.
After Gillespie went down with his injury against Creighton, Moore stepped into the point guard role and finished with 24 points, five rebounds and five assists.
With both Gillespie and Moore out, look for Wright to rely more heavily on Bryan Antoine and Brandon Slater on the perimeter. Chris Arcidiacono, the younger brother of former Villanova star Ryan, also played 25 minutes against Providence on Saturday after playing just 17 total minutes all season entering the game.
Top-seeded Villanova, No. 14 in this week’s AP poll, will play the winner of Georgetown-Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.