GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Penn forward TJ Power’s status for the Quakers’ first-round NCAA Tournament game on Thursday night against No. 3 seed Illinois is uncertain after he missed the team’s last two practices with an illness.
Penn coach Fran McCaffrey said Power is “under the weather” and that he won’t have an update on his status until before the game.
The 6-foot-9 junior who previously played at Duke and Virginia scored 44 points in Penn’s 88-84 come-from-behind overtime victory over Yale in the Ivy League Tournament championship game and averaged 16.8 points and 7.9 per game this season for the 14th-seeded Quakers (18-11).
Power was not in the team’s locker room at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena for the 20-minute period of time that was open to the media on Wednesday. Instead, he spent time with trainers receiving treatment in hopes of recovering in time to play.
McCaffrey said not having Power has made it difficult to prepare for Illinois.
“That’s a game changer because of a lot of things we do are featuring him,” McCaffrey said. “That doesn’t make me a genius. He’s one of the most versatile, one of the most talented, one of the most accomplished players in college basketball this year. So we were going to go to him.”
The Quakers will also be without swingman Ethan Roberts, who has been out since March 6 after suffering his second concussion.
“I thought Ethan Roberts is a special player, and we’re all so disappointed for him because he really was an integral part in helping us get here,” McCaffrey said. “But when you’ve had your second concussion, it’s not something that you mess with. His health and welfare is our priority. Now you throw TJ into the mix of a guy who may or may not play. If you were asking me, ‘Do I think he’s going to play?’ I’d say yes, but he didn’t practice today. He didn’t feel up to it.”
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