Wisconsin Loses Aleem Ford To Injury

The injury bug bit Wisconsin again this week as the Badgers lost Aleem Ford to a knee injury.

The sophomore forward’s knee injury will require surgery, but according to a Wisconsin Athletic Department statement, Ford will be able to return to the Badgers later this season.

The Badgers struggled with injuries last season. D’Mitrik Trice, Kobe King, and Brad Davison missed significant periods of time due to injuries and the Badgers limped along to a 15-18 campaign. All three players return healthy this season.

Ford is a versatile 6-foot-6 small forward who seemed to be on the verge of a potential breakout campaign. In a “secret” scrimmage against Iowa State last Sunday, Ford poured in 19 points on only nine field goal attempts. Last season he appeared in all 33 games and averaged a team-best 40% from three-point range.

According to an article from the Journal Sentinel, if Ford’s rehabilitation goes well he could return in around four weeks. In that timeline, Ford will miss big match-ups against Xavier, NC State, and the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. It also puts his participation in the two early conference games at risk, which is a road game at Iowa and a home match-up against Rutgers.

This is a big loss for the Badgers. There is no other way to put it. Ford seemed prime to take on a big role for Wisconsin this season, and this is an unfortunate setback. Wisconsin has some guys that can mitigate this loss, but it is a wrinkle that will take some early games to figure out. Here’s hoping Ford can return healthy in late November or early December.