Arizona was just four minutes into Saturday’s NCAA Tournament matchup with Saint Mary’s when Alkins doubled over, grimacing in pain, and quickly checked out of the game. The Wildcats were losing 17-12, and things just kept getting worse. Kadeem Allen missed a layup, Allonzo Trier turned the ball over, Chance Comanche missed an alley-oop dunk, Kobi Simmons missed three shots in a row, Allen missed a tip-in and Lauri Markkanen missed a layup. By the time Alkins checked back in with 3:43 left in the first half, Arizona was down 24-16 and reeling. Alkins, had fractured his right index finger.
Arbitello: “I was thinking to myself, he never missed a game for me in all the years. He never missed a game. One time he got hit in the mouth, might’ve lost one or two teeth, and he came right back in the game. It’s going to take a lot to keep him out.”
Alkins: “In the training room, they have a TV back there so I was watching the game and I saw we was down eight, so I told the trainer and the doctor, we have to do whatever it takes to get back on the court. Then they did the X-rays and luckily it was a minor fracture. So I said, ‘I can play?’ They said, ‘You can play.’ I just taped it up a little bit and ran back on the court.”
Kadeem Allen, UA senior guard: “He’s different, man. He’s different. Most people wouldn’t have come back into the game as a freshman. He got it taped up, came back out and played some good basketball.”
Less than a minute later returning, Alkins corralled a defensive rebound, took the ball up the floor himself, took on two defenders with a spin move at the rim and scored using his injured hand. At the 7:04 mark in the second half, Alkins made the play of the game: Defending a 3-on-1 Saint Mary’s fast break, he intercepted an attempted alley-oop pass. Arizona won the game 69-60, outscoring the Gaels 53-36 after Alkins returned. He finished with six points.
Sean Miller, UA head coach: “When you do that as a freshman and you’re in the NCAA tournament, and you leave the game, No. 1, it’s not easy to come back into the game, but to come back in the game and play well, says a lot about Rawle.”
Book Richardson, UA assistant coach: “He’s a warrior.”
Lauri Markkanen, UA freshman forward: “It was tough to lose him, he’s one of our key players. He plays extremely tough. That (steal) was a big play. I turned the ball over, it’s good to know my teammate has my back.”
Alkins: “I’m all-in. I’m going to do whatever takes to get back on the court.”
Miller: “It would be one tough kid to pop your finger back midway through the first half, come out on your shooting hand and play the rest of the game. As great as he played two nights ago, that says a lot more about Rawle than what he was able to do tonight. Anybody that’s played the game and has suffered a hand injury like that knows how difficult it is to do what he did.”
