Tigers’ Porter needs clearance

Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said Friday that star freshman Michael Porter Jr. won’t be able to receive clearance to practice until at least Thursday, when he meets with his doctor in Dallas.

Porter has missed all but two minutes of the season after having back surgery in November.

The Tigers play Feb. 24 at Kentucky, after Porter’s appointment with his doctor, but Martin has said Porter will need to practice before participating in game action. Porter said he has been learning while watching from the bench, but Martin believes more time will be needed to understand plays.

“It’s one thing to see it from afar,” Martin said. “But to go through it live and to see how you fit in is the most important thing.”

No. 24 Nevada lost star point guard Lindsey Drew for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Coach Eric Musselman told the Reno Gazette Journal it’s a “devastating” blow to the Wolf Pack (22-5, 11-2), who lead the Mountain West Conference by two games over Boise State (20-6, 10-4) with five regular-season games left.

Drew, the son of former NBA player Larry Drew, suffered the injury at the end of the first half in a 77-72 win over Boise State on Wednesday night. The junior was averaging 8.1 points, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes of playing time.

USC lost junior forward Bennie Boatwright for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Boatwright, the Trojans’ second-leading scorer (13.6 ppg) and rebounder (6.4), suffered a left patella injury during Thursday’s 72-70 win over Oregon. The school said he’ll be sidelined for several months, but surgery isn’t expected.

No. 16 Rhode Island had guard E.C. Matthews back in the lineup Friday night against St. Bonaventure, three days after the team’s secondleading scorer hurt his left knee.

Matthews missed six games earlier this season with a broken left wrist.

News services