Reyne Smith left No. 14 Louisville’s game against Cal on Wednesday night with an apparent lower leg injury.
The senior guard left the game with 12:36 remaining in the first half. When the Cardinals returned to the court for second-half warmups, Smith came out after other players and did not take part.
Louisville won 85-68 without Smith behind Terrence Edwards Jr.’s career-high 35 points.
Smith, who is third on the team averaging 13.8 points per game, has been one of the catalysts for the Cardinals’ turnaround this season. He transferred to Louisville after three seasons with the College of Charleston to continue playing for coach Pat Kelsey.
After the game, Kelsey said he was told by the team’s athletic trainer that Smith would not be able to play but did not know if his guard may miss additional time.
The 6-foot-2 Australian is considered one of the nation’s top outside shooters. For the season, he has made 106 of his 277 3-point attempts. He leads the ACC and is third nationally in 3-pointers made.
A prolonged absence would be the latest blow to the Cardinals’ depth, after they lost key players Koren Johnson and Kasean Pryor to season-ending injuries in November. Despite that, Louisville has won eight straight and 18 of 19 to post a 24-6 record and a 17-2 mark in the ACC.
Before Wednesday’s game, Louisville was 13th in the ACC making 33.1% of its 3-pointers, but the team’s 283 were second most in the conference. The Cardinals went 11-for-23 in Wednesday’s win.
“We’re a good 3-point shooting team,” Kelsey said. “We value that in the recruiting process, and we’re built that way. Obviously, Reyne’s elite. Reyne’s one of the best shooters in college basketball. One of the best shooters that I’ve ever coached, but we have a bunch of guys who can make shots.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
