Men's Basketball

McCullough doesn’t return after 1st-half injury, will be re-evaluated Monday

Sam Maller | Staff Photographer

Chris McCullough left the game with an unspecified injury in the first half, and didn't return against Florida State. SU Athletics said the freshman would be re-evaluated on Monday.

By Jacob Klinger

Chris McCullough went down on a breakaway in the first half of Syracuse’s 70-57 win over Florida State on Sunday in the Carrier Dome and didn’t return.

Play was stopped with 11:51 left in the half and McCullough lay face down on the floor at the right baseline for about 15 seconds. His left arm was tucked under his face and his right above his head after play was stopped before rolling onto his back.

The freshman held his right knee and started to get up once before stopping and clutching his face. Two members of the SU training staff helped him to his feet and he began to limp toward the Syracuse bench at the other side of the court.

The 6-foot-10 McCullough stopped just inside the top of the key, though, where walk-on 6-foot-6 forward Doyin Akintobi-Adeyeye jogged over, replacing a member of the training staff as McCullough wrapped his left arm around his teammate.

McCullough limped off the court, favoring his left knee and did not return to the floor.



At halftime, team spokesman Pete Moore said McCullough was showering, would miss the rest of the game and be re-evaluated in the morning.

“He’s been playing better in practice, so it’s unfortunate, but we’ll find out tomorrow,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said after the game. “We have no idea right now what it is.”

McCullough is averaging 9.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.7 steals per game, but is in the middle of a slump. He scored four points against the Seminoles, shooting 1-of-2 from the field and hitting a pair of free throws in eight minutes. He also recorded a rebound, a block and a turnover.

Reserve center Chinonso Obokoh — who hadn’t played since Dec. 22 — came in for Rakeem Christmas when the Orange’s star big man recorded his second foul with 1:54 left in the first half.

Obokoh went on to play five minutes in which he recorded four fouls and a rebound. After the game, freshman point guard Kaleb Joseph said he and his teammates were going to go visit McCullough.





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