Houston basketball's best player suffered a troubling injury at about the worst possible. Cougars star Jamal Shead was forced to exit his team's Sweet 16 matchup with Duke after twisting his right ankle with 6:50 left in the first half.

The injury occurred as Shead tried to plant on two feet and rise for a layup over the Blue Devils' Mark Mitchell. Instead of launching off the floor, though, the senior guard went down to the hardwood in a heap as his right ankle bent awkwardly.

Shead writhed in pain as play continued on the other end before the action was stopped. He eventually rose to his feet, hobbling back to the locker room with the help of team trainers.

Several minutes after Shead made his way to the locker room, Houston announced that he was questionable to return with a ‘right ankle injury.' He was later seen heading back towards the court with his right leg resting on a push scooter.

Jamal Shead's importance to Houston

Jamal Shead, Houston basketball

Shead cemented himself as one of the best players in college basketball this season while leading the Cougars to a 32-4 record and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He's stuffing the stat sheet with 13.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists and a whopping 2.2 steals per game while shooting 41.1% overall and 30.9% from beyond the arc.

Though Shead's scoring efficiency leaves much to be desired, he more than makes up for it with his singular impact on the other end. Broadly considered the top perimeter defender in the country, he followed up AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors a year ago by winning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2023-24 after Houston left the mid-major ranks.

Shead's peerless contributions on that end has set the tone for the Cougars all season. Kelvin Sampson's team once again sports perhaps the best defense in the country, and Shead has been recognized accordingly. Hardly just a defensive ace, he was selected as Big 12 Player of the Year and named a consensus First Team All-American.

Houston's team leader showed out when needed most in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, finishing with 21 points, five rebounds and 10 assists in a heart-stopping overtime win vs. Texas A&M. If Shead is unable to return against Duke, we'll see if his teammates can pick up the slack in a similarly effective manor with a berth in the Elite Eight on the line.