Texas coach Shaka Smart told ESPN he is optimistic that senior big man Cameron Ridley will be able to play 15 to 20 minutes against No. 11 seed Northern Iowa on Friday.
Smart said Ridley, who played two minutes in the Big 12 quarterfinal loss to Baylor on Thursday, practiced about 30 minutes on Saturday.
Texas, the sixth seed in West Regional, took Sunday off and is expected to practice again Monday.
Ridley averaged 11.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game through the first 11 games before sitting out the next 20 due to a broken foot he suffered in practice.
Smart said that last Wednesday, Ridley practiced for the first time since the injury and was impressive. Doctors imposed a restriction of five minutes' playing time for Thursday's game.
"We'll try and ramp up his practice this week -- as long as he doesn't have any pain," Smart said. "Just having him out there makes our guys feel better."