VCU star Nyk Lewis leaves NCAA tournament matchup vs. Illinois not even 1 minute in after rolling ankle

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Nyk Lewis went crashing down after landing on a teammate's foot just seconds into Saturday's contest in Greenville. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)Mitchell Layton via Getty Images

No. 11 VCU lost guard Nyk Lewis not even a minute into their second-round NCAA tournament matchup with No. 3 Illinois on Saturday night. 

Lewis jumped up for a rebound after a missed shot from Kylan Boswell on Illinois’ first offensive possession of the game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. But as Lewis came back down to the court, his right foot landed directly on top of teammate Brandon Jennings. Lewis’ right ankle twisted hard, and he crashed down to the court immediately in pain. 

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Lewis was eventually helped off the court and over to the bench, but he didn’t put any weight on his ankle as he did so.

Lewis eventually was helped back to the locker room to get X-rays. He was shown on CBS limping back to the tunnel, struggling to walk.

The team eventually ruled him out with a sprained ankle just before halftime. He returned to the end of the bench, and was spotted icing his ankle.

Lewis averaged 8.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season as a freshman with the Rams. He was named the Atlantic-10’s Rookie of the Year and was a member of the league’s All-Freshman team, too. 

Lewis had 16 points and seven rebounds while helping the Rams past No. 6 North Carolina in the opening round of the tournament. The Rams rallied all the way back from a 19-point hole to pick up what was their first NCAA tournament win since 2016. That marked the largest first-round comeback in NCAA tournament history, too. 

Illinois rolled past Penn in a 35-point win in the first round to reach Saturday night’s matchup. The winner will advance to the Sweet 16 to take on No. 2 Houston next weekend in Houston.

This post will be updated with more information shortly. 

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