Jarin Stevenson exits first half of Alabama’s NCAA Tournament opener with wrist injury

Jarin Stevenson was taken to the locker room in the first half of Friday’s NCAA Tournament opener after suffering an apparent wrist injury.

Stevenson, starting in place of the injured Grant Nelson, drove into contact midway through the first half and landed awkwardly on his left wrist. While attempting to break his fall, all of his weight came down on his left arm/wrist. He stayed down on the court while medical trainers for Alabama tended to him. When he left the floor, he was immediately taken to the locker room for further evaluation.

With a little over 5 minutes to play before the halftime break, though, Stevenson checked back into the game with heavy taping around his wrist.

At the time of his injury, Stevenson was 0-for-3 from the field and 0-for-2 from 3. He had not yet scored and had just 1 rebound.

With Nelson nursing a knee injury, Stevenson started his 22nd game of the season. Nelson was said to be available for the game, but he did not see the floor in the first half. When Nelson was injured in the SEC Tournament loss to Florida, Stevenson stepped up to play a season-high-tying 30 minutes.

In 33 appearances prior to the NCAA Tournament, Stevenson held per-game averages of 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19 minutes.

Though he was able to return to the game, coach Nate Oats will surely be asked about the health of the 6-foot-11 forward going forward after the contest.

Derek Peterson

Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.