Villanova standout Justin Moore ruled out against UCLA

Graduate guard Justin Moore is out for Saturday’s game against UCLA (7 p.m., FS1) with a right knee sprain, Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said Friday. He is officially considered as day-to-day.

Neptune declined to speculate if Moore would be back for Villanova’s next game, the Big East opener on Dec. 20 against Creighton.

Moore was injured in the first half of Wednesday’s matchup with Kansas State. He finished with three points and a rebound in eight minutes of play. He said the injury just felt like his knee giving out, but it kept buckling whenever he tried to run.

“It sucks, but I’m feeling good mentally and physically,” Moore said. “Just getting better.”

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Moore is Villanova’s best player and locker-room leader, but he hasn’t had quite the impact he was expected to have so far this season. He had 21 points against Le Moyne and 25 at Penn, but was held to four points in the loss at Drexel. Still, he leads the team in assists and minutes per game.

With Moore out, senior guard TJ Bamba played 40 minutes in the overtime loss to Kansas State. Junior guard Jordan Longino played 36. The two led Villanova in scoring with 15 and 16, respectively. Longino could slide into the starting lineup in Moore’s absence, though graduate guard Hakim Hart is an option as well. Neptune declined to comment on what Villanova’s starting lineup would look like without Moore.

While there is never a good time for an injury, it does come at a relatively open time in the schedule for Villanova. After the UCLA game, the Wildcats play just twice (Creighton and at DePaul on Dec. 23) in the next 24 days.