After sitting out Wednesday’s game with lower back pain, senior forward Vedran Vukusic said Thursday he expects to play in Northwestern’s next game on Saturday against Ohio State.
Vukusic had an MRI on Thursday morning, but he will not receive the results until Friday. The senior dressed for Thursday’s practice but did not participate as a precautionary measure.
“I’m feeling good,” said Vukusic, who leads the Big Ten with 20.2 points per game. “It’s getting better everyday, so that’s a good thing. I’m expected to play Saturday, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be out there.”
Since beginning physical therapy on Monday, Vukusic said his condition has improved.
But NU coach Bill Carmody remains concerned about the injury.
“My guess is that even if he’s cleared, he might not be ready,” Carmody said. “If he’s cleared and it isn’t anything major, he still has to be able to move. If it’s just muscles, he still may not be able to play.”
According to Carmody, they will await the results of the MRI before making a definite decision about Saturday’s game.
Vukusic said he woke up Monday with soreness in his lower back. Throughout the day, the pain worsened, forcing him to miss Monday’s practice. Vukusic dressed for Tuesday’s practice but was held out of most drills. He said his condition had improved before Wednesday, but not enough for him to play at Illinois.
“I was so mad I couldn’t play (Wednesday),” Vukusic said. “It was both my and (NU trainer Scott Barthlama’s) decision. It’s not like it’s an ankle and easy to get over. It’s the lower back. And since we don’t know what it is yet, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Wednesday was the first game Vukusic missed since Jan. 17, 2004, when he sat out a game against Indiana because of a knee injury.
Vukusic redshirted the 2002-03 season because of a right shoulder injury, but he said he has no history of back problems.
In Vukusic’s absence, the Wildcats played tough in a 63-47 loss to the Illini. Freshman guard Sterling Williams started in Vukusic’s place.
After a Vince Scott 3-pointer with 8:09 remaining, NU trailed Illinois 48-45. But the Cats didn’t make another field goal for the remainder of the game, as the Illini went on a 15-2 run.
On Saturday, NU (12-11, 4-7 Big Ten) will head to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 12 Ohio State (18-4, 7-4). It’s the first meeting between the teams this season.
Ohio State leads the conference in scoring, averaging 78.6 points per game.
Senior center Terence Dials leads the Buckeyes with 14.6 points per game, while senior guard Je’Kel Foster leads the nation in 3-point shooting percentage, making 51.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
Reach Scott Duncan at [email protected].
