2 min read • March 25, 2022
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How far the UCLA Bruins make it in the NCAA tournament may hinge solely on how healthy Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s right ankle is.
The junior small forward suffered an inversion right ankle sprain in last Saturday’s win over Saint Mary’s and did not return in the final five minutes of the game.
The good news for Jaquez and UCLA is he has already dealt with a sprain in his right ankle in January. He also has a history of playing through pain and seems poised to play through it once again for Friday night’s matchup against University of North Carolina.
Jaquez' previous ankle sprain likely prevented the new sprain from causing much new damage to his ankle. The worry for ankle sprains is the overnight swelling, but Jaquez seemed to be moving well in video from practice this week.
The ProBasketballDocs give him a SIC score of 81, with the main concern being his ability to perform on defense.
He is a two-time member of the Pac-12 All-Defense team, but with his ankle at less than 100% he may not be up to the task defensively. His first two seasons with the team, his defensive ability is what got him consistent minutes and the Bruins rely heavily on him for defensive rebounds as well.
Jaquez recently described himself as “day-to-day,” echoing the assessment given by a UCLA spokesperson after last Saturday’s victory.
Bruins head coach Mick Cronin told reporters Saturday, “Trust me, if he can walk, he'll play.”
He’s done more than walk this week during practice, thus one can reasonably expect Jaquez to at least give it a go against the Tar Heels.
How effectively he can play remains to be seen.
The Bruins are 2.5-point favorites over UNC and the over/under is 141.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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