Gonzaga’s Braden Huff to miss 4-8 weeks with left knee injury: ‘It’s a tough time’

PULLMAN – Gonzaga’s Braden Huff will miss the next four to eight weeks with a left knee injury, potentially jeopardizing the forward’s chances of suiting up for the ninth-ranked Bulldogs again this season.

The specific nature of the injury remains unclear but it occurred during practice in Spokane earlier this week, a school spokesperson confirmed to The Spokesman-Review roughly one hour before Gonzaga’s 86-65 win over Washington State at Beasley Coliseum.

Huff and frontcourt mate Graham Ike were tied for the team lead in scoring, each averaging 17.8 points per game entering Thursday’s road matchup. Huff still traveled with the team to Pullman for the first of two matchups between the Zags and Cougars.

“It’s a tough time for me and B-Huff, just because I know how much he wants to be out there,” said Ike, who carried the offensive load in GU’s first game without Huff, recording 23 points and 11 rebounds . “I miss twin, most definitely. But I’m just keeping his spirits high, as the whole team is and just making sure he’s in good spirits and whenever we get him back, we’ll be right. But until then we’re just going to keep playing hard for him.”

If Huff’s recovery time is on the shorter end, the redshirt junior could possibly return before the end of the regular season, which concludes Feb. 28 at Saint Mary’s.

If the forward is sidelined eight weeks, there’s a slight chance he could rejoin the Zags before the opening round of the NCAA Tournament with First Four games starting March 17 and 18.

It nonetheless amounts to a massive setback for a Gonzaga team that’s in position to play for a No. 1 or 2 seed at March Madness, with the majority of recent bracket projections slotting Mark Few’s team in as a No. 2 seed.

Huff was leading the country in total field goals, with 145 through the team’s first 18 games, and ranked No. 6 nationally in field goal percentage, making 66.2% of his attempts. The Illinois native scored 12 points in Gonzaga’s most recent game against Santa Clara and reached double figures in all but one of the team’s games this season.

WSU also entered Thursday’s game shorthanded. The Cougars were already missing sophomore guard Tomas Thrastarson due to a foot fracture, but junior wing Rihards Vavers came out on the court pregame wearing team-issued sweats and didn’t play due to a head injury.