Tony Hicks won’t return for Saturday’s game

The Cardinals are almost at full strength.

Almost.

Louisville is still down its back-up point guard, Tony Hicks. Last week, Pitino mentioned how he expected Hicks to return for Saturday’s game against Virginia Tech. However, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen, Pitino told the Courier-Journal. Pitino would say that it is possible that Hicks could start practicing next week, following an X-ray that Hicks has scheduled for Friday.

It seems that Pitino is going to follow the same process in bringing Tony back that he did with Snider, as Louisville would like Hicks to practice at least three times before he gets thrown back in to game action.

Hicks broke a bone in his hand during U of L’s victory over Pittsburgh while filling in for the injured Quentin Snider. Hicks scored 10 points, 4 assists, and a rebound in the Cardinals 106-51 blow-out of the Panthers.

While it’s never a good thing for a player/team to have to endure injuries to key pieces to the roster, Louisville has shown that it can make the necessary adjustments to still be a dominant team. Guys who normally wouldn’t get a chance for serious playing time have stepped up throughout the last part of the season. Ryan McMahon had his moment in the Carrier Dome. Come tournament time, if Mitchell/Snider/Adel get in foul trouble, Pitino has the confidence that other guys will be able to step up and help win the game.

Tournament time is close, and after the pains of last year, it’s going to be that much sweeter that the Cards are in the thick of the madness.