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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Kenyon Martin is finished for the season.
Top-ranked Cincinnati might be as well.
Martin broke his right leg three minutes into Cincinnati's
Conference USA quarterfinal against Saint Louis on Thursday, and
the disheartened Bearcats stumbled to a shocking 68-58 loss.
|  | | St. Louis' Marque Perry, left, Andrew Latimer and Chris Braun, right, celebrate after shocking Cincinnati. |
In losing perhaps the best player in the country, it is unlikely
Cincinnati will receive a No. 1 seed when the NCAA tournament
bracket is determined Sunday.
"We're going to have to change some things certainly, and
probably the first thing that's got to change is we actually got to
try to make a shot once in a while," Bearcats coach Bob Huggins
said after the loss to ninth-seeded Saint Louis.
"When everyone out there is running around in the wrong spot,
he always put them in the right spot. We're going to miss that.
"I don't want to say more than we miss him playing because he's
a great, great player. But we'll miss just his leadership from the
standpoint of getting those other guys wherever they're supposed to
be."
The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Martin was setting a pick when he got
tangled up with Saint Louis' Justin Love. Martin's ankle turned
underneath him as he fell, tearing several ligaments and then
breaking his fibula.
Martin said he had no control as he fell and that he could feel
the twisting and heard a pop. Dr. Angelo J. Colosimo called it a
freak injury for a basketball player, something that usually
happens to a football player when a foot gets stuck in the turf.
The doctor said Martin should recover fully, but will need two
to four months before he can run again.
"I'll continue to support my teammates," Martin said. "I've
been here since day one. I just can't suit up."
Martin was taken by ambulance to an orthopedic clinic, where
doctors put a cast on his leg. He will need surgery, which will
take place in Cincinnati.
He returned to The Pyramid midway through the second half with
his teammates trailing and drew a standing ovation. But his
presence wasn't enough to boost Cincinnati, which wound up with its
earliest exit in recent history. The Bearcats had won six of their
last eight tournament titles, counting both Conference USA and the
defunct Great Midwest Conference.
Even without Martin, Cincinnati (28-3) still had a chance to put
away a team it routed twice in the regular season, including 84-41
last weekend.
But Love scored 25 points as Saint Louis (17-13) outshot and
outrebounded the Bearcats, who had trouble even finding the basket
for much of the second half. The victory puts the Billikens into
the semifinals for the first time as members of Conference USA.
They will play either Tulane or Houston on Friday.
"It was a great win," Saint Louis coach Lorenzo Romar said.
"We'll be excited. We'll talk about this for years to come. But
it's very sad to see the best player in college basketball go down
the way he went down."
Cincinnati led 40-36 with 16:05 left on a jumper by Pete
Mickeal, but John Redden put Saint Louis ahead to stay with a
15-foot jumper that made it 48-47 with 12:35 remaining.
The Bearcats then went cold and didn't hit a shot from the floor
for a nearly 10 minute stretch until Mickeal's basket with 1:16
remaining. Cincinnati could have taken the lead but went 6-of-13 at
the free-throw line in that time.
Saint Louis hit 10-of-12 free throws in the final 2:44.
Kenny Satterfield led Cincinnati with 16 points, Mickeal
finished added 13, and Ryan Fletcher had 11.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
St Louis Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
Forde: Worst break of all
Martin's injury scuttles Cincy's hope for No. 1 seed
Martin knew leg was broken before he hit court
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Kenyon Martin breaks his right fibula.
avi: 1117 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
St. Louis works the ball inside to Chris Heinrich.
avi: 520 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Jermaine Tate throws down the one-handed slam.
avi: 712 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Justin Love gets the outlet pass and takes it all the way.
avi: 672 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Kenyon accepts the consequences of playing hard.
avi: 827 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Bob Huggins is remorseful about his fallen leader.
wav: 185 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dick Vitale and Digger Phelps talk about Cincy in the wake of the Kenyon Martin injury.
wav: 574 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dick Vitale on the impact of Kenyon Martin's injury.
wav: 191 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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