Injury Update on Purdue Guard C.J. Cox Ahead of Sweet 16 Game vs. Texas
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C.J. Cox's status for Thursday night's Sweet 16 game between No. 2 seed Purdue and No. 11 seed Texas is still up in the air. The Boilermaker sophomore provided an update in San Jose on Wednesday.
The sophomore guard is considered "questionable" for Thursday's game.
Cox hyperextended his knee in Sunday's second-round game against Miami in St. Louis on Sunday. He sustained the injury at the 17:04 mark of the game and never returned to the floor. The Boilermakers defeated the Hurricanes 79-69 to advance to the Sweet 16.
Cox scored 11 points before exiting the game.
Add us as a preferred source on Google"It feels better, just taking it one day at a time. We'll see how it goes around shootaround," Cox said in a video posted by ISC Purdue. "I have been doing a lot of rehab stuff, form shooting. I haven't fully practiced yet."
Cox said he is taking everything day by day. He hopes to be able to play in Thursday's game, but right now, his status continues to be monitored. The sophomore confirmed that he had an MRI and that things came back "pretty good."
“Just taking it one day at a time, continuing to rehab, and just see how it is. Not jumping in too fast but just seeing what [trainer] Chad (Young) thinks and what the staff thinks. I definitely want to help this team win the game, but if I’m not ready to go, then it is what it is.”
This season, Cox is averaging 8.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest for the Boilermakers. He has provided the Boilermakers with great perimeter defense and a high-quality shooter from behind the three-point line all year.
C.J. Cox provides big spark in first two tournament games
In the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, Cox provided Purdue with major sparks at exactly the right time. He put together great runs at the end of the first halves of both contests.
Cox accounted for 11 points during a 13-2 run between the end of the first half and start of the second half to help give Purdue a 48-33 advantage on Queens. Late in the first half, the Boilermakers found themselves ahead 35-30 until that run put the game out of reach.
Two days later, Purdue found itself trailing Miami 36-29 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Cox hit three straight three-pointers in less than two minutes, bringing the Boilermakers within two points at the break, 40-38. His final bucket came on a baseline out-of-bounds play that helped Purdue push its lead to 45-42 in the second half.
It wasn't just that Cox averaged 11 points per game in the first two rounds of March Madness, it was the timeliness of his shots falling. Having someone who can catch fire quickly can be a huge asset in the NCAA Tournament.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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