Can Miller play through his injury?   

Miller is looking a fewer minutes

    I don't know how long it will take for a groin injury to heal. Per Marcus Sasser, we all know it doesn't take long to worsen a groin injury; you can ask Kelvin Sampson about that. Has Sampson ruined the Houston Cougar's chances to win the national championship? Perhaps, because Sasser is the straw that stirs the Houston team. Houston also reports that guard Jamal Shead has an injured knee. Both Houston stars say, "100 % we will play against Auburn." All players would choose to play. That includes Brandon Miller. What will happen with Miller's playing time? 

     Nate Oats says he wants Miller on the floor for at most 20 minutes per game. That seems the wisest course. After reading medical material about groin injuries, it appears that, at times, a player thinks he can up the tempo. A player can then reaggravate the damage trying to play at full speed. All athletes want to go full speed. It's the nature of the beast. The Tide will likely risk playing Miller against Maryland in a limited capacity. The question in my mind is can Alabama beat Maryland with Miller having limited minutes or not playing at all. How do you factor in additional games in the tournament? 

     Alabama beat TAMU - CC without Miller scoring. He played for 19 minutes. Will that be the game plan for Saturday night? A better question to ask is, can Bama beat Maryland without Miller? Alabama put up over 90-points without Miller's scoring.  We will have to wait and see. Maryland is not a 16-seed team. 

     Yesterday, Purdue was beaten by Fairleigh-Dickenson. Purdue has been overrated all season.  In watching Purdue earlier this season, I never believed the Boilermakers were a great team. The kids from Teaneck, New Jersey, came home with the win. The final score was 63-58. One television announcer called FD, the 17th seed. Gonzaga squeaked by Grand Canyon University 72-70 to move into the round of 32.