Rayvonte Rice Injury: Updates on Illinois Star's Hand and Recovery

Illinois leading scorer Rayvonte Rice suffered a broken hand that's going to sideline him for more than a month.    

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports initially reported on Tuesday the injury occurred during practice on Monday. The senior guard is expected to undergo surgery soon:

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Illinois star Rayvonte Rice has suffered what is believed to be a broken left wrist or left hand that is expected to require surgery and sideline him for five-to-six weeks, a source told CBSSports.com on Tuesday morning.

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Josh Getzoff of WICD15.com later provided confirmation from head coach John Groce regarding the specifics of Rice's injury:

Rice, the team's leading scorer, is averaging 17 points and nearly seven rebounds per game while shooting over 51 percent from the field. He's one of just two players on the roster—Malcolm Hill is the other—scoring double-digit points per game for the Fighting Illini.

The timeline could put him on a path to return for the team's key clash with No. 4 Wisconsin on Feb. 15. That would be right at the five-week mark and give him some time to get back in top form before the end of the regular season.

For now, the Illini will apparently be forced to fight on without him.