After suffering an apparent lower right leg injury four minutes into Vanderbilt’s victory over Kentucky, Liam Robbins left the game and did not return. In Jerry Stackhouse’s postgame interview, he remarked that Robbins would “probably” miss the rest of the season.
Today, that prognosis was confirmed: Stackhouse said that Robbins will not return for the remainder of this campaign in an interview with ESPN 102.5 The Game in Nashville.
The absence of Robbins is obviously a massive blow to this Vanderbilt squad, as the senior was averaging 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and shooting 50.4% from the field. Robbins was red-hot as of late, averaging 24 points in his previous five games before his shortened showing against the Wildcats.
It will be up to Quentin Millora-Brown, Malik Dia and Lee Dort (if he returns from a stress injury to his foot) to fill the shoes of Robbins. The continued strong play of Tyrin Lawrence, Ezra Manjon, Collin Smith and Paul Lewis will also prove critical.
It seems the Commodores have already leaned heavily on senior leader Jordan Wright in the absence of Robbins, which has proved fruitful so far.
Vanderbilt will look to stay relevant in the tournament conversation when they take on Mississippi State on Saturday at 7:30 PM CST at Memorial.
