Bisons' Hildebrandt out with stretch – Winnipeg Free Press

University of Manitoba men's basketball coach Kirby Shepp is having a rough weekend.

First, his Bison dropped both ends of a crucial home-and-home series with the Winnipeg Wesmen, hurting their hopes of finishing fourth in the regular season and earning a first-round bye in the upcoming Canada West playoffs.

The second, and perhaps more concerning, was the injury suffered by star forward Simon Hildebrandt in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 88-78 loss to the Wesmen at the Investors Group Athletic Center.

Hildebrandt, a U Sports rookie last season, did not return to action with a sprained left ankle.

“A few four-letter words come to mind,” Shepp joked Tuesday afternoon. “And then you just move on. I'm just coaching the game (at that moment). I'll talk to Simon later… We have therapists and trainers working with him now and they're doing everything they can to get him back.''

Hildebrandt had to be helped off the court, but appears to be doing well. He no longer needs crutches and will be able to be active in Manitoba's final regular-season series against the UBC Okanagan Heat on Friday and Saturday.

“I'll try to play this weekend, but we'll take it day by day and see how it goes,” Hildebrandt said.

Shepp added: “He's coming back, we just don't know when. The original (guess) is probably two to three weeks, but I'm hoping for sooner. So we'll see. He's going to work on it every day and see how it goes.”

Hildebrandt suffered a similar ankle injury midway through the season without missing any game action.

“I rolled my ankle really bad over Christmas break,” Hildebrandt said. “That's exactly what it felt like (Saturday). I was a little worried at first, but we have great people looking after me at our sports clinic. I'm just trying to stay positive and do everything I can to get back as soon as possible.”

The Bisons should be able to sweep the Heat, who are currently 6-12 and just below the playoff line. UBC Okanagan needs a sweep to secure a playoff spot.

Manitoba, now 11-7, still holds the fourth playoff seed based on its ranking percentage index (RPI), ahead of 13-5 Winnipeg.

The Wesmen, who currently hold the fifth seed under a complex system that considers strength of schedule, could move up to No. 2 by sweeping the No. 3 Regina Cougars.

The top 12 teams from the conference qualify for the Canada West Tournament, which will be held Feb. 21-25 at the IGAC. The Victoria Vikes and Calgary Dinos currently hold the first and second seeds, respectively, with the Brandon Bobcats at #9.

“There could be a lot going on there,” Shepp said. “It's not just (the Wesmen), it's the whole league. RPI, your opponent's record, and your record factors in your opponent's opponent's record.”

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