Ethan Roberts is ‘going to try’ to practice ahead of NCAA Tournament opener, says Fran McCaffery

After its shocking upset over Yale in the Ivy League tournament final, Penn may see its senior captain Ethan Roberts return to the lineup ahead of March Madness.

On Monday, Quakers head coach Fran McCaffery told the media that Roberts, Penn’s leading scorer, will attempt to practice Tuesday after missing the Ivy League tournament due to a concussion and could return ahead of the Quakers’ first-round matchup.

Penn will face third-seeded Illinois in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena (9:25 p.m., TNT) in Greenville, S.C.

“I think he’s going to try to practice tomorrow,” McCaffery said. “So we’ll see how that goes.”

» READ MORE: Penn’s Ethan Roberts is out of the Ivy League tournament due to a concussion

Roberts, who is averaging 16.9 points, suffered a previous concussion against Villanova in the Big 5 championship on Dec. 6 and missed six games due to injury. The time spent away, however, didn’t impact his production, as the forward earned All-Ivy second team honors in his final season wearing Red and Blue.

AJ Levine, the teams starting point guard and defensive standout, praised his teammate ahead of Roberts’ potential return, saying the 6-foot-5 forward is the hardest player he’s ever had to guard.

Cam Thrower, who filled in for Roberts in the Ivy League tournament by scoring a career-high 19 points, including five points in overtime to help seal the win, shared a similar sentiment.

“It would mean a lot to have him back,” Thrower said. “I’m glad that he’s healthy enough to where he’s thinking about practicing — it’d be great to see him back on the court, obviously, with a senior like him who’s made such a huge contribution to this program, you don’t want him to end his career off on being on the sidelines. You want to see him out there, playing his last remaining games, and going out in a position where he’s contributing to the team.”