Coaching

• Basketball coaches may be forced to make significant changes in their game plan if one of their star players is injured and can't play or will not be at full strength. To ignore an injury to a top player would be ludicrous. If you have a power forward who scores the bulk of his points down low and he can't play because of an injury, you may have to focus your attack on an outside shooter instead of a post player. Trying to force the play to an injured player or a backup who lacks the overall ability does not make sense.
  
  

Effects

• It seems that having a key player who is injured is a big obstacle for the team to overcome. This is true much of the time. However, there are times when it can work to the team's advantage. If a star player is hurt during the tournament, the rest of the team may rally for two or three games to overcome his absence or weakness. The other players will take responsibility and step up their level of play. While the star player is on the sidelines, the other players will all grasp the opportunity and sharpen their focus and find another way to win. This happens often.
  
  

Betting trends

• Whenever there are key injuries in the NCAA tournament, this will have an impact on the betting line that sports books at casinos offer to the public. A star player who will not play can impact the betting line by five points or more. This does not mean that a team with an injured star player can't win the game or even cover the point spread, but when bettors see that a player has been injured they tend to downgrade that team and look to the opponent when making a bet.
  
  

Television broadcasts

• Televised games are a huge part of the NCAA tournament. When broadcasters covering the game know of an injury or can uncover one that the team or coach had been downplaying, this becomes a central theme of the broadcast. This happens regularly because broadcasters believe that fans understand what a particular team's strategy may be when everyone is healthy. Since the injury is new or the information is new, broadcasters tend to concentrate on it so their listeners understand all the ramifications.
  
  

Expert Insight

• When an injury happens at the start or in the middle of the NCAA tournament, the injury generally becomes a rallying point for the team that loses a key player. Instead of going into the tournament at full strength, the team has to scramble to overcome the loss and make a suitable adjustment in the game plan. This often has the effect of energizing the team for a game or even two. However, over the long haul, it is difficult for the team to overcome the loss of talent and personnell; after the initial surge of adrenaline, the team's play will level off and it might cost them a chance to compete for the championship.