LOS ANGELES — Arizona freshman wing Josh Green and senior guard Max Hazzard did not play against USC on Thursday, Green because of a sprained sacroiliac joint and Hazzard for what UA is calling "personal reasons."
Arizona coach Sean Miller started Ira Lee as a result, moving Stone Gettings to small forward and giving the Wildcats a bigger look out of necessity.
Green suffered a sprain to a sacroiliac joint in his lower back during Arizona's game with Oregon last Saturday and did not make the trip to Los Angeles with the Wildcats on Wednesday, meaning he also will not likely play Saturday at UCLA.
Green is expected to return for the Wildcats' final regular-season games against WSU and Washington next week, however.
“He tried to practice this week but doesn’t feel he’s ready,” UA athletic trainer Justin Kokoskie said.
Arizona offered no additional detail on Hazzard's absence. The UA announced that he was out 10 minutes before the game, one hour after saying there were no issues with Hazzard. The UC Irvine transfer did not take part in Arizona's early guard warmups.
Green likely suffered his injury as a result of cumulative impacts during the Oregon game, Kokoskie said, including a fall to the floor when he received a traveling call and when he fell hard on his final drive to the basket in regulation before missing two potential game-winning free throws.
Green was fouled on the drive by Oregon center Francis Okoro and appeared to be momentarily shaken up. But he stayed in the game and took the ensuing free throws. Asked if Green’s fall might have affected his free throws or if UA considered taking him out, UA coach Sean Miller said Green indicated he was OK.
“All he had to say was his head hurt and we would have taken him out,” Miller said. “I think he felt like he was fine. Didn’t work out.”
Green reported the pain upon the Wildcats’ return to practice on Monday.
The sacroiliac (or “SI” ) joints are located at the intersection of the lower spine and pelvis.
