Kentucky's basketball season looks more in doubt now that one of their biggest stars went down for the season with an ACL tear.
Nerlens Noel, who was widely considered a potential No.1 draft pick for the NBA Draft, is officially done for the season after the University of Kentucky confirmed Wednesday that their star player tore his ACL during Tuesday's game against Florida.
University medical doctors told USA Today that Noel is expected to undergo surgery within two to three weeks. The recovery from an ACL injury-which has affected notable sports stars such as Derrick Rose, Adrian Peterson and Rajon Rondo-is between six months to a year.
The injury occurred Tuesday night in the fourth quarter with 8 minutes left in the No. 25-ranked Wildcats' 69-52 loss to No. 7 Florida, when Noel ran into the basket support after he blocked a layup. He paid for it an instant later when Noel landed awkwardly on his leg, and laid painfully on the floor clutching his knee. Noel had to be helped up off the floor by his teammates.
The 6'10" Noel, 18, a freshman out of Everett, Mass., was ranked last year by ESPN as the No.1 high school player in the nation, and was averaging 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds this season.
The prospect of recovery from an ACL tear is usually very tricky, as the ligament plays a critical role in stabilizing the knee and providing support for lateral movements and quick bursts of speed. Sometimes, athletes can recover successfully, as Peterson did when the Minnesota Vikings'superstar running back came back from ACL surgery last season to win the NFL's 2012 MVP award. Other times, however, athletes may never recover their skill level pre-injury.
However, Noel remained optimistic, posting a message to his fans on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. "Minor setback for a MAJOR comeback! I love you all and can't thank y'all enough for the prayers," he tweeted.