Updates on Adem Bona, David Singleton's Injuries Before UCLA-Gonzaga

The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and the Bruins' most experienced sharpshooter have both been banged up during March Madness.

The injury bug has been biting the Bruins throughout the postseason, leaving several question marks heading into their Sweet 16 matchup with the Bulldogs.

No. 2 seed UCLA men's basketball (31-5, 18-2 Pac-12) will once again be without guard Jaylen Clark against No. 3 seed Gonzaga (30-5, 14-2 WCC) in the NCAA tournament on Thursday, as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year suffered a season-ending lower leg injury on March 4. Clark is not the only Bruin who is banged up, however.

Center Adem Bona – the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year – suffered a left shoulder injury against Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament on March 10. After missing UCLA's next two games, Bona returned in the Round of 32 to help the Bruins beat Northwestern, although he reaggravated said shoulder injury on a dunk in the second half and briefly checked out of the contest.

In the waning moments of Saturday's second-round win, guard David Singleton went down with an ankle injury as well. The veteran said postgame that he would be fine, but the team still announced he had been diagnosed with a sprained right ankle.

When repeatedly asked about Bona and Singleton's respective statuses for Thursday's Sweet 16 matchup against the Bulldogs, coach Mick Cronin didn't have much news to share as of Tuesday.

"We'll see," Cronin said as his team was preparing to travel to Las Vegas. "Everybody's day-to-day, including me."

Singleton joined the starting lineup in Clark's absence, and he has scored in double figures in three of his last six appearances. The fifth-year veteran is averaging a career-high 9.1 points per game, and he has kept up his long-range efficiency by drilling 42.6% of his 4.6 attempts a night from 3-point range.

Bona, on the other hand, has been an anchor at the center of UCLA's defense since the moment he stepped foot on campus. The freshman is averaging 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 0.6 steals per game on the season – all while leading the Bruins with a 67.5% field goal percentage – en route to Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors.

If Bona is unable to go Thursday, veteran Kenneth Nwuba will likely step into the starting lineup in his place again. Nwuba drew the start against No. 15 seed UNC Asheville in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, and he put up a career-high 10 points in addition to his fourth multi-block game of the year.

As for Singleton, freshman Dylan Andrews is the most likely candidate to slide into the starting lineup if he can't suit up. Andrews has yet to start a game in his college career, but he did knock down a key 3-pointer to help UCLA pull away from Northwestern down the stretch on Saturday.

Cronin's rotation has already been shortened by Clark's injury, and he would only have a relatively inexperienced trio of guard Will McClendon, guard/forward Abramo Canka and big man Mac Etienne at his disposal off the bench should Singleton and Bona not get cleared.

"Somehow, we gotta find a way to contain Drew Timme and not give up a million 3s tomorrow, regardless of who's playing for us," Cronin said during his press conference Wednesday. "If it doesn't go our way, I'm not gonna come in here and say we lost because these two guys weren't playing or these three guys weren't playing. We're still gonna get to play 5-on-5. You gotta be tough enough to figure it out if you want to win."

Both Singleton and Bona are generally expected to play, but it unlikely that anything concrete will come out in regards to their availability before Thursday evening.

Tip-off between UCLA and Gonzaga is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The winner of that game will play the winner of No. 8 seed Arkansas and No. 4 seed UConn, which will take place a few hours earlier than the Bruins' game on the same court.

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