While injuries and suspensions to teams in major conferences grab headlines and impact lines, there are dozens of injuries that get little notice each week. Everyone that follows college basketball knows about the suspensions for Connecticut with Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins as well as the recent major blow to Missouri with Stefhon Hannah injuring his jaw in a nightclub altercation but let’s examine some of the less publicized injury situations on some of the lesser known teams around the country. Make sure you know what the status is before considering action on any of these squads in upcoming games.

Arkansas State

Adrian Banks – The senior guard is averaging 18.3 points per game to lead the Indians but he has had trouble staying on the court and his numbers are down overall from last season. Banks missed six games early in the season stemming from an arrest and Banks played just seven minutes in a win over Florida International last Thursday (1/24). Banks did not play in a loss to Western Kentucky last weekend (1/27) although the Indians still managed to cover an inflated spread.

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Cal-State Fullerton

Josh Akognon – The junior guard and Washington State transfer did not play in the Titans win over UC-Riverside last Wednesday (1/23), a game which Fullerton failed to cover. Akognon is leading the Big West in scoring at 21.2 points per game. With over a week in between games Akognon may be recovered from his finger injury to play in the next game for the Titans but a continued absence would be detrimental to the chances of staying in the conference race for Fullerton, currently sitting two games behind Cal-State Northridge.

Loyola-Maryland

Gerald Brown – The senior guard has been the top scorer for the Greyhounds since transferring from Providence. Brown is one of the top scorers in the MAAC and Loyola-Maryland is actually right in the thick of the conference race at 7-3 despite an 11-10 overall record. Brown has not missed any time yet this season but a nagging knee injury is a concern as the season progresses. Brown is a dominant player in the conference and he is capable of taking over games and has been integral to the surprising run for the Greyhounds, currently 7-1 against the spread in the last eight games.

Marist

Louie McCroskey – The senior guard injured his foot two weeks ago in the last loss for the Red Foxes. The injury may have impacted Marist in that game but in the next three games that McCroskey has missed the Foxes are 3-0 S/U and ATS. McCroskey was averaging 12.4 points per game with over five rebounds per game but Marist has shown they have the depth to continue chasing the MAAC title. McCroskey could be out for the rest of the season and the loss could show in the coming weeks as the schedule gets tougher.

Marshall

Markel Humphrey – The Thundering Herd already lost senior point guard Taurean Marshall to injury this season and junior Humphrey has missed the last three games with a stress fracture in his foot. Humphrey leads Marshall in scoring at 14.2 points per game and also is a key contributor on the boards. Marshall has managed to cover in two of the last three games but the scoring numbers have fallen, posting just over 61 points per game in that span. Humphrey is slated to return to the court soon, but stress fractures typically can continue to be problematic.

Miami, Ohio

Michael Bramos – The junior scored 23 points in a loss against Kent (1/17) but re-aggravated an ankle injury in the closing seconds. Bramos averages nearly 16 points per game but Miami was able to snap a five-game losing streak in his first game out. Miami is 2-1 S/U but 1-2 ATS in the three most recent games that Bramos has missed. Miami has played a very tough schedule this season and is likely a better team than the record indicates but getting Bramos back in the lineup will be critical to finishing the season strong.

Valparaiso

Shawn Huff – The 6’7” senior from Finland is leading the balanced Crusaders with 11.6 points per game. Huff missed the second half of last season due to injury and recently left Valparaiso’s last game (1/26), a narrow loss to Loyola-Chicago with an ankle injury. The Crusaders are already on a 0-4 ATS run and despite high hopes for the conference season Valparaiso is quickly losing ground, with a huge game against Butler on deck.