Sidibe to Get MRI on Leg After Injury in Opener
Syracuse starting center Bourama Sidibe only played four minutes, scoring two points and grabbing one rebound in the Orange's 85-84 win over Bryant in the season opener. Sidibe suffered a leg injury early in the game and did not return.
Head coach Jim Boeheim said Sidibe would get an MRI Friday night to determine the severity of the injury. Details on the injury were not immediately provided.
In Sidibe's place, Marek Dolezaj played most of the minutes in the middle. Jesse Edwards and Frank Anselem played for short spurts, but did not impact the game. Anselem played four minutes and accumulated no stats other than one foul. Edwards played just one minute and also had no stats.
Dolezaj, however, had a spectacular game. He finished with 20 points on 6-12 shooting and 8-9 from the free throw line. Dolezaj added six rebounds, nine assists and five steals.
Sidibe had an up and down 2020-21 season. He struggled with foul trouble for much of the year, but really came on strong down the stretch of the season. On the season overall, he averaged six points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Over the last six games, he bumped those up to 9.8 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.3 steals. If he can give Syracuse productivity like those last six games over the course of an entire season, he makes them a complete different team.
Of course in order to do that, he needs to stay healthy. Given Syracuse's lack of experienced depth from true centers, a lot may be riding on the results of the MRI.
