Forward Ira Lee will not play Thursday in the Arizona Wildcats' game with Oregon State because of an ankle injury.
A UA spokesman said Lee hurt his right ankle in practice on Wednesday and is day-to-day with the injury. He limped slightly on to the floor before Thursday's game and wore sweatpants while watching his teammates warm up to play the Beavers at 6 p.m. The game will air on Pac-12 Arizona.
Arizona forward Ira Lee (11) on the sidelines in street clothes watching the rest of the big men get their shooting hands dialed in as the Wildcats get ready to go against Oregon State at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 11, 2021.
Meanwhile, Miller started Kerr Kriisa at shooting guard instead of Terrell Brown in what UA termed a coaches decision. Kriisa played his first two college games last week after being ruled ineligible for Arizona's first 19 scheduled games because of arrangements he made to play for a Lithuanian club.
Kriisa averaged 17.5 minutes in UA's losses at Utah and Colorado. He shot just 1 of 6 from the field but had three assists to no turnovers and drew praise from Miller for his toughness, setting screens and taking a charge against Colorado's McKinley Wright.
Arizona's most veteran player, Lee has faced struggles during his senior season with the Wildcats.
Lee suffered a concussion in late October and missed UA's first game against Grambling on Nov. 27 before returning. He has averaged only 10.4 minutes off the bench in Pac-12 games and played only a minute and 16 seconds in the Wildcats' loss at Colorado on Saturday.
For the season, Lee is averaging 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
All of Arizona's other scholarship players have been warming up for the game, including freshman forward Daniel Batcho, who has not been present for the last two weeks while staying away from the team because of an illness (UA coach Sean Miller said his isolation had nothing to do with COVID protocols).
However, Batcho will not play the rest of the season because he is too far behind in practices after suffering a preseason knee injury, Miller said.
