Georgia forward Yante Maten (1) has his knee looked at by the Georgia trainer during an NCAA men's basketball against Kentucky in Athens, Ga., Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. (John RoarkAthens Banner-Herald via AP)A frustrating men's basketball season at the University of Georgia added another setback Sunday when coach Mark Fox announced junior forward Yante Maten will be out indefinitely with a knee sprain that happened 95 seconds into Saturday's 82-77 loss to No. 13 Kentucky in Stegeman Coliseum.
The Bulldogs remained competitive behind senior guard J.J. Frazier's 36 points, but the latest last-minute loss saddled them with a 15-12 overall record and a 6-8 mark in Southeastern Conference play. They have four regular-season games left, beginning Thursday night at Alabama, but Fox offered no timetable for Maten's return.
"I am very disappointed for Yante," Fox said Sunday in a release. "He loves to play, and it's tough when that is taken away by injury. Fortunately, it appears that surgery is not needed, and he should make a full recovery in time."
Maten, a 6-foot-8, 240-pounder from the Detroit suburb of Pontiac, entered Saturday averaging 19.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this season, but those averages slipped to 18.7 and 6.9 following his shortened stint on the floor. His scoring average still ranks third in the SEC.
Mike Edwards, a 6-9, 225-pound sophomore, replaced Maten against the Wildcats and tallied 10 points and four rebounds in 34 minutes, but the Bulldogs wound up getting outrebounded 41-26.
"Obviously, without Yante, we have to play a little different at times," Fox said Saturday night in a news conference. "Quite frankly, we just didn't rebound the ball in the second half. As the game wore on, our big guys just wore down."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.