Houston basketball's Joseph Tugler suffered an apparent ankle injury early in the Cougars' Final Four matchup with Duke on Saturday in San Antonio.
Tugler, one of 10 finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year this season, was shown working out his ankle on the sideline's training bike after tweaking his ankle. Tugler was attempting to deny a pass to Duke's Khaman Maluach before coming down awkwardly on his ankle.
jojo tuglerpic.twitter.com/URfsy7KEL5
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The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 5.5 points with 5.9 rebounds per game this season, but his averages don't show his impact on the floor. Tugler would be quite the loss for Houston, given his defensive versatility and expected impact on Cooper Flagg, the Naismith and Wooden Award winner this season.
Tugler has started 32 of Houston's 39 games this season. He later returned to the court midway through the first half, but his effectiveness will be covered closely throughout the rest of the game after the tweak.
Here's what to know of Tugler's injury on Saturday:
Joseph Tugler injury update
Tugler landed awkwardly on his ankle in the first half of Houston-Duke in the Final Four on Saturday. He stayed on the sideline and was shown working through the ailment on the training bike.
The 6-foot-8 forward attempted to deny a pass to Maluach early in the first half but twisted his ankle as he landed on the court. It's seemingly good news he never went to the locker room, however.
Tugler later reentered the game with 11:51 left in the first half, but it'll be interesting to see if the ankle tweak limits the star defender's impact at all.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joseph Tugler injury update: Houston F turns ankle, returns to game
