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Matt Stainbrook’s knee injury just a strained MCL

Matt Stainbrook

Xavier got some excellent news on Tuesday when it was announced that starting center Matt Stainbrook only strained his MCL.

Stainbrook landed awkwardly in Monday’s loss to Seton Hall, immediately grabbing his left knee and screaming in pain. It looked like the injury could be quite serious, but according to Xavier, he’s out for Saturday’s game with Villanova and will be listed as day-to-day after that.

“Everybody’s knee responds differently. We won’t know a whole lot,” head coach Chris Mack said. “Doctors certainly have not ruled him out from returning for the Big East tournament and hopefully beyond.”

The one potential problem here is that the next two games could end up determining Xavier’s bubble fate. If they lose to Villanova and lose in the first round of the Big East tournament, there is no guarantee that they will be dancing. And even though freshman big man Jalen Reynolds has been playing better of late, losing a guy that has started 30 games and averages 10.6 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds certainly won’t make that easier.