UConn forward Akok Akok suffered a complete rupture of his left Achilles tendon during the Huskies' win over Memphis, the school said Monday.
The injury occurred during the first minute of Sunday's 64-61 victory after Akok had blocked a shot and was running back down court.
The extent of the injury was confirmed Monday by an MRI.
Akok will undergo surgery later this week and will miss the remainder of the season.
Coach Dan Hurley was emotional discussing the injury after the game.
"It was a big win, but there's no joy in it when something like that happens in the first minute. Sports is brutal sometimes, life is brutal sometimes," he said.
Hurley also tweeted about Akok's injury:
Bittersweet Day in Hartford for all of Husky Nation...Beyond proud of the Courage our Team displayed but heart broken for @akokrakok🙏..I do know this...he will be back and better than ever because he is a special guy with uncommon work ethic and an entire state behind him ! ⛰💙
— Dan Hurley (@dhurley15) February 17, 2020
The 6-foot-9 freshman played in all 25 games for UConn, starting 24 of them. He averaged 5.8 points and 5.5 rebounds and his 66 blocked shots lead the American Athletic Conference.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.