Oct. 15
As is the case in other sports, an injury can dampen the enthusiasm of a college basketball team. Think about some of the major injuries that are affecting teams already. We haven't even tipped off the season, yet the sport's landscape has been changed.

	Forward Jason Parker has a handle on this rebound, but his career at Kentucky has slipped away.

Kentucky suffered a setback when forward Jason Parker was lost for the season. He was doing a great job in rehabilitating his right knee after an ACL injury.

Then came Midnight Madness. According to coach Tubby Smith, Parker was fooling around with some of his teammates in the locker room just before Midnight Madness and he reinjured his knee.

Parker's absence takes away a vital part of the Wildcats' offensive system. He was a power-deluxe player inside, scoring 22 points in his last game against USC in the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky still has a dynamite team, led by the duo of 6-foot-9 Tayshaun Prince and point guard Keith Bogans. The return of 6-11 forward Jules Camara will also help. The Wildcats will be a legitimate contender, but the team certainly would have been better with Parker in the lineup.

At Illinois, the loss of 6-foot-8 forward Lucas Johnson is a big-time blow; it isn't clear right now whether Johnson will be able to return before the end of the season. He's not a major scorer or rebounder, but he brought a special toughness to the lineup. Any time you're chasing the goal of reaching the Final Four -- not just hoping to get into the Big Dance -- it's a major loss when someone from the rotation goes down with an injury.

Bill Self's team certainly has a lot of talent back. Frank Williams and Corey Bradford form one of the nation's premier backcourts. Up front, 6-11 Robert Archibald will be called upon to contribute; he was exceptional in the NCAA regional-final loss to Arizona. And 6-11 Brian Cook will be important. Both were inconsistent in the past and have to perform night in and night out.

When you talk about tough-luck situations, you have to consider Virginia point guard Majestic Mapp. He has worked hard to rehabilitate from four different knee surgeries. It looked like he was ready to create and innovate for Peter Gillen's club. But now he's gone for the season with another knee injury.

Roger Mason must now move over to the point and change his style of play because of Mapp's latest injury, which led to his fifth knee surgery.

So three highly rated teams must try to overcome these setbacks.