Northwestern’s Mike Thompson spent Saturday’s game on the sideline because of a severely sprained right foot injured at practice Thursday.

The 6-foot-10 center wore a black, protective walking boot on the foot.

“He can’t walk on it, so no one really knows how long he’ll be out,” NU coach Bill Carmody said. “He was just taking a little hook shot by himself warming up.”

An MRI and X-rays performed after the injury showed no stress fracture, originally believed to be the problem. Thompson is third on the team in scoring with 10.2 points per game and is first in rebounding with 4.8 boards per game.

In Thompson’s absence, sophomore Vince Scott started the game and finished with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting.

Anticipating Thompson sitting out, center Ivan Tolic spent time on the floor at practice Friday.

Tolic, who hasn’t played this season because of chronic knee problems, broke his left hand at practice. He’ll likely miss the rest of the season.

— Zach Silka