2022 NCAA Tournament Friday injury report, odds: Jacob Grandison, Tyson Walker, Kyle Young, Zed Key expected to play Friday

It's quite a challenge during the college basketball regular season to keep up on injuries around the country simply because there are so many teams and coaches don't need to share anything – and some of these schools are way off the radar. However, the NCAA Tournament is different with a much smaller field and every team in the spotlight. Thus, we have some key injury updates for Friday – mostly from the Big Ten.

No. 10 Loyola Chicago vs. No. 7 Ohio State (pick'em)

This is the first game of the day at 12:15 p.m., and I personally backed Ohio State because it appears that Kyle Young and Zed Key both will play. Coach Chris Holtmann didn't say that officially when the two participated in limited practice Thursday, but the Columbus Dispatch, via source, reported both would be available. Ohio State is 17-8 this season when both players are available.

Young, a senior power forward, has missed the last three games after suffering a concussion March 1 against Nebraska. In 25 games with two starts, Young averages 8.2 points on 51.9 percent shooting and 4.9 rebounds. Key, a sophomore forward, was originally hurt Feb. 26 and has been in and out of the lineup since, including missing OSU's Big Ten Tournament loss to Penn State. Key, who has started 23 of his 27 games played, averages 8.1 points on 57.1 percent shooting and 5.4 rebounds.

OSU should have a significant size advantage. The Ramblers are not a big team, with only two players on the roster taller than 6-foot-7, and neither of the two guys taller than that -- center Jacob Hutson (6-foot-10) or forward Tom Welch (6-foot-8) -- play more than 13 minutes per game.

No. 13 Chattanooga vs. No. 4 Illinois (-8)

Pair of conference champions here, with Chattanooga winning the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament titles and Illinois winning the Big Ten regular-season title. Perhaps the Illini would have won the Big Ten tourney as well instead of losing the opener against Indiana if they had guard Jacob Grandison.

He has missed the past two with a shoulder injury but is good to go Friday, although Coach Brad Underwood admitted that it will be a matter of pain tolerance. Grandison, a fifth-year senior, is averaging 10.3 points per game along with 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists and is one of the team's top shooters, making 55 of 134 three-pointers (.410) over 28 games. He also is one of the best passers on the team, often dumping the ball into star center Kofi Cockburn.

Illinois is 6-0 as a No. 4 seed when playing its first game of the NCAA Tournament and is 5-0 all-time against No. 13 seeds in the Big Dance, its most wins over any seed.

No. 10 Davidson vs. No. 7 Michigan State (-1)

This is not one of Tom Izzo's better teams in recent years, and he could ill afford not to have starting point guard Tyson Walker against Davidson and its star point guard Foster Loyer … who is a transfer from Michigan State.

Walker, himself a transfer from Northeastern, exited Sparty's game against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday after suffering an ankle injury in the first three minutes. He briefly returned later in the first half before leaving for good. Walker will play Friday but is not 100 percent. Walker is averaging 8.1 points, 4.3 assists and a team-best 1.0 steals per game while shooting 49.3 percent from three-point range.

"He'll be heavily taped, but he's going to play. [Don't know] for how long or at what level," Izzo said. "Hopefully it doesn't swell up or anything. I think he's not going to be 100 percent, but he's not going to be 50 either."

Under Izzo, the Spartans are 17-5 straight up in Round of 64 games. MSU did lose in the First Four last year to UCLA in overtime but that's not part of the record.

No. 16 Wright State vs. No. 1 Arizona (-20.5)

If you saw a recent social media post on the sprained ankle of Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa, well, you might think that dude is done for the season as it looked horrible. He injured the ankle on March 10 vs. Stanford and missed the rest of the Pac-12 Tournament, although the Cats won it regardless.

I picked Arizona to reach the national title game with the expectation of Kriisa being back by the Sweet 16, but he might play Friday as a game-time decision. One would imagine Coach Tommy Lloyd holds him out as UA doesn't need Kriisa to win this game. The sophomore ranked second in the Pac-12 in assists (4.9) and third in assist/turnover ratio (2.25) while averaging 10.1 points. Kriisa also had the 10th triple-double in program history with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on Feb. 24 vs. Utah.

Sophomore Dalen Terry has stepped big with Kriisa out. In the Pac-12 title game, Terry became the first player since the conference tournament returned in 2002 to post 15 points, seven assists and zero turnovers in a tournament game.

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