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Made official Thursday morning per a U-M spokesperson, Michigan Wolverines starting point guard DeVante’ Jones did not make the trip to Indianapolis for the game against Colorado State on Thursday. Jones is in the concussion protocol, but the team is hopeful he could be back for Saturday’s game if the Wolverines advance.
For the second year in a row, Michigan heads into NCAA tourney with a significant injury. Last year it was Isaiah Livers' broken foot. This year it's PG DeVante' Jones, who is in concussion protocol. Team hopes to have him back for Saturday if U-M can beat Colorado State tomorrow
— John Niyo (@JohnNiyo) March 16, 2022
The injury, according to head coach Juwan Howard, happened in practice. Jones was driving to the basket when he got elbowed in the nose.
This is a huge blow to Michigan’s chances in the opening round of the tournament. Jones just started to come on as of late. He went for 25 points and 10 assists against Illinois last month, and also had a great performance of 21 points and nine assists at Ohio State. For the season, Jones averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds.
Our own Kellen Voss wrote a piece last week about how Michigan will have to rely on its senior guards in the NCAA Tournament. Well, with one of them out, Eli Brooks really needs to step up and be a focal point of the offense, along with Hunter Dickinson, of course.
It’s unclear who will get the nod at the starting position for the game tomorrow, but Howard did mention that freshmen Frankie Collins and Kobe Bufkin will get an opportunity, as will the aforementioned Brooks.
The betting line for the game on DraftKings Sportsbook changed Thursday morning from Michigan being favored by 2.5 points to an even two points. I fully expect this line to continue to move down as the game gets closer and closer to tipoff.