Adams’ season in jeopardy BEAM ME UP ...
UConn senior will miss 4-6 weeks with MCL sprain in his left knee
Senior Jalen Adams, UConn's leading scorer, will be out four to six weeks with a left knee injury.
An MRI taken on Thursday revealed that Adams has a grade 2+ MCL sprain, according to UConn. He suffered the injury six minutes into Wednesday's game at Temple.
Adams, a starting guard, may have possibly played his last game at UConn.
If Adams misses the minimum of four weeks, he could be ready to return for the regular season finale March 10 at East Carolina. The American Athletic Conference tournament starts on March 14 at Memphis.
The Huskies will badly miss Adams, who averaged a team-best 17.7 points as well as chipping in 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 23 games. Up until last weekend, he had been on a tear, averaging 26 points over a four-game span.
His hot streak ended against East Carolina on Sunday when he went scoreless for the first time since his freshman season. Upset with his senior's play, coach Dan Hurley benched Adams for the last 18 minutes of the game.
Adams started at Temple and had two points in six minutes before Temple's J.P. Moorman II rolled on his leg during a scramble for a loose ball. Adams was helped to the locker room and never returned.
The Huskies fell apart without Adams and lost 81-63.
"Obviously, he's really emotional and so is the team because he's beloved by his teammates and the new staff has grown quite a liking to him as well," Hurley said on Wednesday after the loss.
Adams has been Mr. Reliable
during his career, appearing in 121 games. He's led the team in scoring for three straight years, including this season. He ranks 12th on the UConn career scoring list with 1,659 points. He needs 52 points to become the AAC's all-time leading scorer.
The loss of Adams leaves the Huskies shorthanded. They've been without starting guard Alterique Gilbert (left shoulder) for the last three games. There's a chance that Gilbert could return for Sunday's game at Memphis. Graduate guard Tarin Smith has been filling in for Gilbert.
The Huskies (13-10, 4-6) are in the midst of a brutal stretch that features four of six games on the road. Their two home games are against AAC title contenders Houston and Cincinnati on Feb. 14 and Feb. 24, respectively.
They have eight regular-season games remaining. g.keefe@theday.com