Kentucky freshman John Wall is about to get some serious
competition for the National Player of the Year Award.
Ohio State star Evan Turner is expected to return to the
court Wednesday night against Indiana, one month after sustaining a
serious back injury.
The Columbus Dispatch first reported that Turner’s
mother, Iris, said her son will play tonight and FOXSports.com has
confirmed through a source close to the situation that barring a
last-minute change of plans, the 6-foot-7 standout will return from
the injury suffered on Dec. 5.
With the expected return of Turner, there's still a chance
that the Buckeyes' versatile junior could make up the ground he's
lost on Wall while sitting the past month. Remember, Turner’s
numbers were outrageous prior to the injury.
He was averaging 20.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists
going into the Eastern Michigan contest — the one in
which he suffered two broken bones in his back just seven minutes
into the game.
Ohio State was also 6-1 at the time of his injury. Since the
Eastern Michigan rout, the Buckeyes are 3-3.
What if Turner somehow picks up where he left off?
It’s hard to fathom that Turner won’t feel the
effects, especially in the next couple of games, but it’s
certainly not out of the equation that the Buckeyes star could
dominate — as he did in the first seven games of the
season — and not only move himself into contention with
Wall, but also get Ohio State back where they are regarded as a
team that could do some serious damage come March.
