Boston • BYU center Keba Keita only played eight minutes before his night was cut short.
One of BYU’s key front-court pieces left Saturday’s top-10 matchup against UConn after taking a hard hit to the head.
He lay on the floor for several minutes and couldn’t walk on his own back to the locker room. He briefly sat on the bench in the second half, but went back inside to the locker room.
After the game, BYU coach Kevin Young said the Cougars were still evaluating Keita’s injury.
“I still haven’t gotten the update,” Young said. “I knew he wasn’t going to return [tonight]. So still [need] the full update.”
Keita is averaging nearly seven points a game and 21 minutes.
Without Keita, BYU’s front-court depth is thin. Young played true freshman Xavion Staton for seven minutes. Young also rotated in Khadim Mboup for 22 minutes before he fouled out. But neither has logged significant minutes in their career.
Ultimately, Young went with a smaller lineup as BYU mounted a comeback to nearly beat No. 3 UConn, losing 86-84.
Keita is the second starter BYU is missing. Guard Kennard Davis was out for a “violation of team rules,” and it is unknown how long his suspension will be.
Davis was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence, Provo police said. He traveled with the team to Boston, sitting on the bench.