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A handful of the country’s top teams will be without or only have a limited version of their top players

Everywhere you look in the bracket, you’ll find teams who have battled through injuries this season, and some still face the additional adversity as the NCAA Tournament begins this week.

Starting with the season-ending injuries, Iowa State, Kentucky, and Clemson can all feel hard done by the injury bug. The Cyclones will be without starting point guard Keshon Gilbert for the entirety of their tournament run, as Gilbert was officially ruled out by TJ Otzelberger after dealing with a couple of different issues over the last month.

Jaxson Robinson had taken over Kentucky’s point guard duties at points this season when Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa went out with injuries, but now its Robinson who saw his season shut down following surgery on his wrist. Kriisa, with only nine games played, has also been shut down for the season, and will likely return next season following an injury redshirt.

At Clemson, while Dillon Hunter may not make as many headlines as Gilbert or Robinson, he’s another impactful player who had a sudden exit due to injury vs SMU in the ACC Tournament. Without him, Clemson survived SMU but couldn’t get past Louisville in the ACC semifinals. He’s considered the Tigers’ glue guy and his hole in the rotation will cause the rest of the Clemson bench to have increased weight on its shoulders.

Across the country there’s also plenty of players dealing with some sort of injury or just coming back from injury, most notably at Duke. Both Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown went down with injuries in the ACC Tournament, and while Flagg is expected to return this weekend for the Blue Devils, Brown is the ultimate question mark, having reinjured his shoulder that already caused him to miss a large handful of games.

It’s a similar story for Arkansas, who will finally get Boogie Fland back for its first-round game against Kansas, but is still missing forward Adou Thiero, whose timetable is still in question. Other players coming back from injury across the country who could have a limited impact throughout the tournament include Texas Tech wing duo Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams, Illinois forward Morez Johnson, and Louisville guard Reyne Smith.

Injuries always seem to play a factor as the tournament wears on, as we’ve seen injuries to Jaylen Clark, Jamal Shead, and other stars derail championship hopes in recent seasons. Here’s to wishing the best of health to everyone competing in the tournament, as the ultimate goal is to see the best of the best battle it out over the course of the next three and a half weeks.

Other Things to Note:

• The 2025 NCAA Tournament tips off at 6:40 ET on Tuesday night with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio