Hunter to miss rest of the season with broken wrist

Oh no.

Why do the basketball gods not smile down?

Tuesday evening, Virginia fans received the news that redshirt freshman guard and ACC sixth man of the year De'Andre Hunter is going to miss the NCAA tournament with a broken left wrist. It is a big blow because obviously, Hunter really came on in ACC play as a key piece who could shoot from midrange, make a few 3s, and really guard and rebound solidly. He was averaging 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 48.8 percent, 38.2 on 3-pointers.

What was that I just said at the end of my last post about luck being a fickle mistress during March Madness?

Apparently the injury happened during the ACC tournament, maybe in the semifinal against Clemson. How was he effective then against North Carolina in the championship? I'm not a doctor and do not know. Maybe it didn't swell up until after the tournament was over, or an X-ray didn't show anything until afterward. Or maybe he just played through the pain and told the coaches he was OK for the time being. He sprained his ankle at Duke and played in the next game, so he is definitely tough. But that is quite frustrating, to see him make 8 of 10 free throws against the Tar Heels and then

After a ho-hum nonconference performance, DeAndre Hunter
was seen as a rising star during ACC games.

get news that he is out of the Big Dance.

The question is of course what will Virginia do with this news? How will Tony Bennett and the players try to adjust? Hunter is a lanky 6-foot-7 guard who can defend post players as well as guards. He was able to drive the lane, create his own shot, and shoot from deep. His versatility is something almost no other player brings. But hopefully the Cavaliers can fill in the gaps. Jack Salt and Isaiah Wilkins might need to score more and rebound even better. Mamadi Diakite is going to be a key big man and needs to find the 8-10 ppg version of himself that he's capable of being. Nigel Johnson could be a bigger factor off the bench. Maybe Marco Anthony, a breakout performer in the Louisville home game with 10 points when Johnson was suspended, gets more time. Some fans think Bennett might bring in Jay Huff, the 7-footer who can shoot 3s, rebound some, and bother shots with his length. But he hasn't played much this year, with no meaningful minutes since ACC play began. I don't see Bennett doing that. I think he will prefer to tighten the screws, increase the minutes for a couple players here and there, and just give a pep talk to his key leaders and hope they step up. All season, these guys have played with a chip on their shoulder, and they've said as much. They can overcome this, but it'll be harder now, of course, to get to the Final Four and possibly win a championship. But this team has some great senior leadership in Wilkins and Devon Hall and two blossoming stars in Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy.

On his social media accounts, Hunter wrote, "Thank you for all the prayers and wishes. Upset my season had to end this way, but I know the team will finish the right way!! 66.67%" The percentage is a way to show that UVa is 2/3 of the way through its season's goals, the first two being ACC regular-season and tournament crowns. Guy referenced the goals when he was interviewed after UVa's ACC final win over UNC. In response to Hunter, Guy wrote "Won't be the same without my brother... but know this. We got you and this for you."

It sounds cliche, but this is a true team, and it has been driven all season by being picked sixth in the ACC and unranked in the preseason polls. As prognosticators were writing off the 'Hoos after the news broke, former player London Perrantes took to Twitter and wrote, "Y'all couldn't wait to write them boys off huh?? But this is expected." Before the news came down, Bennett had his final media availability before the team leaves Charlottesville, and someone asked him how do the players keep the edge they've played with since they are 31-2 with conference regular-season and tournament titles? He said he talked to his dad, Dick, who said you have to "outunderdog the underdog." UVa might just be back in that role now, one it relishes.