Lorenzo Brown Injury: Updates on NC State Star's Ankle

North Carolina State suffered a major blow on Tuesday night against conference rival Virginia, as junior point guard Lorenzo Brown had to leave the game with an ankle injury.

Laura Keeley of the Charlotte Observer helped spread the ESPN sideline report with this tweet:

The extent of the injury was not immediately known. Brown injured his ankle on a drive attempt in the first half, as he helped further deplete a squad already missing a talented starter. Brown had two points, three rebounds and two steals before he left the game.

The Wolfpack (16-4, 5-2 ACC) were also dealing with star forward C.J. Leslie not being at full strength on Tuesday night. Leslie is battling the flu, and Brown not being around for the second half of a big ACC road game is a tough task to battle for Mark Gottfried and company against the Cavaliers.

A three-year player for NC State, Brown is having a stellar season for Gottried as the Wolfpack attempt to contend with Duke, North Carolina and the rest of the always-talented ACC. He's averaging 13.2 points and 7.2 assists on the season (both career highs), while also shooting 35.1 percent from the three-point line.

With a showdown against No. 14 Miami on deck for Saturday and another against No. 5 Duke scheduled for Feb. 7, the Wolfpack will hope Brown just tweaked his ankle and can return with some light rehab in the next few days.

We'll continue to monitor his status and update you with more information as it becomes available.