In Alabama's 96-90 road loss to undefeated Vanderbilt on Wednesday night, star sophomore guard Labaron Philon left the game with 16 minutes to play in the second half and didn't return.
Philon went to the locker room and didn't emerge until there were under three-minutes to play in the game. There was no update given during an oblivious broadcast that didn't notice Philon out of the game for about 10 minutes of game action.
Philon had been dealing with a groin injury he suffered in Alabama's win in Huntsville over Kennesaw State. That caused him to miss the Tide's win over USF, but he returned against Kentucky in the SEC opener.
According to Nate Oats, Philon's absence had nothing to do with that injury. The Crimson Tide's star point guard was dealing with full-body cramps. He was in the locker room getting an I.V., but they couldn't get him to a place that he could come back into the game.
"I don't know. Played 19 minutes. Had to go back and get an IV. Couldn't play," Oats said after the game. "I don't know why he's getting full-body cramps with only playing 19 minutes."
Labaron Philon had 'full-body cramps' against Vanderbilt, according to Nate Oats
Philon is the second Alabama player this year to endure full-body cramps and be unable to play. The same thing happened to Aiden Sherrell during Alabama's loss to Arizona in Birmingham.
While it's frustrating that something like that knocked Philon out of the game completely, Alabama fans can breathe a sigh of relief that the injury is nothing serious and Philon should be able to get back on the court for Saturday's matchup against Texas in Coleman Coliseum.
Philon was on pace for a monster performance against Vanderbilt in Nashville. In those 19 minutes, he had already put up 18 points. He helped Alabama overcome an ugly start that saw them fall behind by 13 points in the first half. Led by Philon, the Crimson Tide battled back to tie the game at halftime.
Without Philon over the final 16 minutes, Alabama just didn't have the firepower to take down the Commodores. That was exacerbated by the Tide's struggles from three (7-of-40).
Philon has played at an extremely high level this season. The sophomore guard is one of the leaders for SEC Player of the Year, and is on the shortlist of All-American candidates.
Philon's injury not being anything serious - or lingering - is as good of news as Alabama could have hoped for.