SEATTLE (AP) — Washington freshman Markelle Fultz, the leading scorer in the Pac-12 Conference and the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, has not been cleared by team doctors to play due to a sore knee and may miss the final two regular-season games.
Coach Lorenzo Romar said Tuesday that Fultz has yet to be given clearance by the team’s medical staff to return to game action. Fultz has missed three of the past five games due to the knee issue, including last Sunday’s loss to rival Washington State.
Romar didn’t rule Fultz out for Wednesday night’s game against No. 3 UCLA but didn’t sound optimistic Fultz would be cleared in time. Washington closes out the regular season at USC on Saturday before opening the Pac-12 tournament next week in Las Vegas.
Fultz leads the conference averaging 23.2 points per game, but the Huskies have lost 10 straight.
He could become the second straight No. 1 overall pick following LSU’s Ben Simmons to miss the NCAA Tournament.
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