No. 1 overall seed Virginia announced Tuesday afternoon that freshman power forward De'Andre Hunter will miss the NCAA Tournament because of a broken left wrist.
Hunter is a 6-foot-7 pro prospect who won ACC Sixth Man of the Year. He hurt his left wrist during the ACC Tournament, according to the school, which did not disclose when or how the injury occurred. The Cavs beat UNC in Saturday night's ACC championship game. Hunter logged 18 minutes off the bench and scored 10 points against that game.
Hunter will undergo surgery next Monday and have a near-three-month recovery.
The All-ACC Freshman Team honoree averaged 9.2 points and 3.5 rebounds this season, proving to be a physical and vital defensive force for the best team in college basketball. Without Hunter, Virginia's title odds will undoubtedly take a hit. Hunter is athletically Virginia's best weapon, and proved to be a critical first man off the bench for Tony Bennett's team.
Virginia's 31-2 and faces No. 16 UMBC in the first round Friday night in Charlotte. Tip time is scheduled for approximately 9:20 p.m. and will air on TNT.