LOS ANGELES — Arizona center Chase Jeter took some early warmups Thursday afternoon at the Galen Center, but doesn't appear likely to play against USC because of back stiffness.
There was no official word on Jeter's status but the junior center was limited in warmups, barely elevating off the floor while his teammates dunked the ball and jumped high off the glass.
Jeter suffered the injury last Saturday against Oregon State when he took a hard fall near the basket and had back spasms afterward. UA coach Sean Miller said Wednesday he "can't really predict" Jeter's chances of playing this weekend.
“I would categorize Chase as he’s making progress,” Miller said. “When you have a lower back injury, there’s stiffness that’s just overwhelming. It affects your movement and it strips you of your confidence to some degree. Because every time that you turn and land, or get ready to jump, you really think about it."
If Jeter is not a factor Thursday, the Wildcats are expected to lean heavily on Ryan Luther and Ira Lee, while also trying to match up guard Dylan Smith against USC big men Bennie Boatwright and Nick Rakocevic. UA may also use former walk-on forward Jake DesJardins in spots against the Trojans.
Without Jeter, the Wildcats started Ryan Luther at center and Dylan Smith at power forward.
Meanwhile, USC has not said if standout freshman guard Kevin Porter Jr. will return from his indefinite suspension, but Porter did go through early warmups with the Trojans and reportedly will play.
USC freshman guard Kevin Porter Jr. will return from his team-imposed suspension for tonight’s game against Arizona, per sources. Porter had been practicing, but missed the previous games against UCLA and Oregon.
— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) January 25, 2019
