Markelle Fultz (sore knee) will not play in Huskies’ Pac-12 tournament opener vs. USC

Markelle Fultz has almost certainly played his final college basketball game.

Fultz, the Pac-12’s leading scorer and the projected No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft, will not play in Wednesday’s Pac-12 tournament opener against USC, a UW spokesperson confirmed. Fultz has missed five of the Huskies’ last seven games due to a sore knee, and was scheduled to be reevaluated on Monday. But a spokesperson said Tuesday afternoon that Fultz has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game.

Fultz, a native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, who surprised many when he chose UW over offers from several powerhouse programs, will likely finish the season with a per-game scoring average of 23.2 points to go along with averages of 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds. He was voted first-team All-Pac-12 by the league’s coaches, and was also named to the Associated Press’ five-player All-Pac-12 first team. A 6-foot-4 guard, Fultz is projected by several outlets to be the top pick in this year’s NBA draft, meaning there is essentially zero chance he will return to UW for his sophomore season.

Without him, the Huskies are 0-5, including a 74-58 loss Saturday at USC. They have not scored more than 71 points in any of the five games in which Fultz has not played.

This story was originally published March 7, 2017 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Markelle Fultz (sore knee) will not play in Huskies’ Pac-12 tournament opener vs. USC."