Arizona loses center Kaleb Tarczewski for four to six weeks
Dec 1, 2015, 2:28 PM | Updated: 2:30 pm
Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski (35) reacts after an injury during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Santa Clara in the quarterfinals of the Wooden Legacy tournament in Fullerton, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015. Arizona won 75-73 in overtime. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
(AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
The Arizona Wildcats returned just one starter from last year’s team that reached the Elite 8.
Now, they’ll have to go without him for a while.
The school announced Tuesday center Kaleb Tarczewski suffered a stress reaction and strained muscle in his left foot late in the second half of the Wildcats’ overtime victory over Santa Clara in the opening game of the 2015 Wooden Legacy on Nov. 26. He will miss the next four to six weeks of play.
The senior was averaging 8.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 57 percent from the field. A starter since he stepped foot in Tucson, he entered this season a part of 94 wins, giving him a legitimate shot to become the all-time winningest player in school history. The current record is 117, which is held by Matt Muehlebach.
Without Tarczewski, head coach Sean Miller will be forced to toy with some different lineups. In Friday’s loss to Providence, the first game without Tarczewski, sophomore center Dusan Ristic was in the starting lineup, though Sunday’s win over Boise State began with reserve guard Elliott Pitts on the floor.
The Wildcats (6-1) are currently ranked 19th in the AP Poll and 14th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Their next game is Saturday in Spokane against Gonzaga, who is ranked 13th in the AP Poll and 12th in the Coaches Poll.
