CHARLOTTESVILLE — Virginia’s leading scorer, Justin Anderson, broke a finger on his left, and shooting, hand Saturday night during the first half of the Cavaliers’ 52-47 win against the Louisville Cardinals.
The team announced Anderson would undergo surgery on Sunday and would miss between four and six weeks. That would likely allow him to return, at the earliest, during the ACC tournament.
Anderson did not play in the second half. At different points, a team doctor talked to him on the bench and wrapped the fingers of his left hand. Virginia coach Tony Bennett said postgame that he did not know the specifics of Anderson’s injury.
“Justin, We’ll find out,” Bennett said. “I don’t even know exactly know how he did it, what he did. We’ve got Dr. [Bobby] Chhabra one of the finest hand surgeons in the country. He’ll look at him, he’ll diagnose him and we’ll get a feel for what’s going on. But, obviously I’m concerned that he couldn’t come back in. I talked to the team, I did an interview on the court after, so I didn’t get a chance to get briefed exactly what’s going on. I’m not hopeful … that he couldn’t come back in, I’m sure there’s going to have to be something done.”
Anderson was just 1-for-9 from the field before leaving the Cavaliers’ win.
Anderson averages 13.9 points per game for third-ranked Virginia. The junior’s play this season has pushed him up NBA draft boards as the 21-1 Cavaliers continue to roll.
SEE ALSO: No. 3 Virginia beats No. 9 Louisville to move to 21-1
Evan Nolte replaced Anderson in the starting lineup to open the second half.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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