Vermont basketball's TJ Long suffers injury in loss to Duke at NCAA Tournament

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Vermont basketball junior TJ Long might have avoided serious injury suffered late in regulation in the No. 13 Catamounts' 64-47 loss to No. 4 Duke during Friday's first round of the NCAA Tournament, according to a national outlet's report.

With 1:18 left in regulation, Long went down with a non-contact injury on a fast-break layup attempt. Long, who's from Rockville Centre, New York, needed help off the court after an extended timeout on the floor. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported that Vermont coach John Becker said the "initial hope is that" Long avoided "a catastrophic injury to his knee."

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In the post-game news conference, Becker said Long was "in pain and clearly upset" in the locker room.

"We'll pray for TJ Long and his health," Becker said.

The Catamounts (28-7) made their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Long, a transfer from Fairfield, was a big reason why the Catamounts seized an America East championship three-peat. Long was Vermont's leading scorer this winter.

Before the injury, Long had just three points on 1 of 8 shooting, and was harrassed all night by Duke face-guarding the lefty shooter.

"I mean, listen, he's had five game winners this year. He's got the magic. He's had the magic all year," Becker said. "He came here to have this opportunity, and his first year, plays at the Barclays Center, 20 minutes from his house. The kid is an awesome kid and awesome basketball player, and he gets a lot of attention from the other team."

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.