Colorado State senior guard Dorian Green, (who by way is from Lawrence, Kansas…just an FYI Mizzou fans) injured his ankle in the final week of the season which caused him to miss a game during the Mountain West tournament and look ineffective in the Rams loss to UNLV. Green did not practice on Monday, but told local reporters he plans to play against Missouri on Thursday night.
“I didn’t hurt it anymore,” he said. “Obviously it was going to be a little sore the next day and a little stiff. As of today, it’s no worse than it was when I played against UNLV. I don’t have the pop and explosiveness that I normally have – not saying that that was a lot when I had it – but I think it just comes down to me just getting enough confidence back in it that the soreness is gone and that I can play as close to 100 percent as possible.”
In the Rams 75-65 loss to UNLV, Green played just 18 minutes and scored five points on 2 of 7 shooting including 1 of 5 from three point range. Green averages a team high 32.6 minutes per game and 12.8 points per game. The injury won’t get worse, but if it is still sore on Thursday, that will be a huge advantage for the Tigers.
Both teams rank at the top of the national rankings in rebounding. The Tigers are ranked #1 in the country with 41.4 rebounds per game, the Rams third with 40.4 per game, while CSU is first in the country in rebounding margin averaging 12 more boards than their opponents, Mizzou third with 9.6. While many point to the game coming down to who rebounds better, watch for guard play.
Will Green be effective enough for Colorado State to run their offense? Will Phil Pressey make better decisions and will Jabari Brown and Keion Bell attack the basket?
