Kentucky Wildcats sophomore center Willie Cauley-Stein suffered what appears to be hamstring injury during the Cats’ game tonight against the No. 2 Michigan State Spartans. He was attempting to get back on defense and block a shot by Spartans forward Matt Costello, but as he was going up to block it, he came down awkwardly on his leg and hit the floor grabbing the back part of his hamstring.
Cauley-Stein already missed two weeks this summer with a hand injury, which has caused his condition to be not up to par where it should be. He did eventually return to the game, but without knowing the extent of the injury and if there will be any swelling, it’s too early to say he’s perfectly fine.
Cauley-Stein, a 7-foot power forward, is projected to be a lottery pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, and it doesn’t appear as though this injury will sideline him for long, but it is something to monitor going forward. He averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds in a backup role last season behind eventual No. 6 overall draft pick Nerlens Noel.