LSU coach Johnny Jones confirmed Monday during the Southeastern Conference weekly teleconference that sophomore guard Malik Morgan will miss the rest of the season due to injury.
According to Jones, Morgan will undergo surgery Monday afternoon.
Morgan suffered a torn patellar tendon Saturday against Auburn that will require surgery, according to reports that surfaced late Saturday night.
NOLA.com | Times Picayune’s Randy Rosetta broke the news that Morgan will miss the remainder of his sophomore season, citing multiple unnamed sources.
Morgan went down with a little over two minutes to play against Auburn after his knee buckled on an attempted transition layup. Morgan spent several minutes face down on the court before being helped off by trainers.
“He’s not doing good, unfortunately,” Jones said after the game. “They’re going to have to re-evaluate him and take another look. It’s his knee. I think it got out from under him tonight. We’ll talk with the doctors here a little bit farther and kind of see where he is, but it doesn’t look good.”
The Advocate’s Matt Harris confirmed the reports through Morgan’s mother Detra Morgan who said her son will have surgery today and will be out for six to nine months for recovery.
Morgan recorded only one point and five rebounds before exiting Saturday’s contest. He averaged 4.9 points in 51 games played the past two seasons, including six starts in the 2013-14 season.
Morgan had his role slightly reduced this season, starting only six games and averaging three minutes less per game than he did in his freshman season. In his first season, Morgan started 14 games and averaged 5.3 points per game.
Morgan was the Tigers’ seventh-leading player in minutes played in each of his two seasons.
The former John Curtis High School standout posted a season and career-tying high 12 points against Butler in December.
Rosetta reported last May that Morgan considered transferring after his freshman season, but Jones announced later that month Morgan would return to the Tigers in 2013-14.