Injury news: Rhode Island guard E.C. Matthews out 4-6 weeks with wrist injury

Rhode Island guard and preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection E.C. Matthews will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a broken wrist, according to Bill Koch of the Providence Journal.

Matthews scored 18 points in 30 minutes on Monday in the Rams’ loss to Nevada. Coming into the year, he figured to be the star of a team that narrowly missed a berth in the Sweet 16 last year.

But if Rhode Island is going to get back to the NCAA Tournament, it will need to pick up key wins in the non-conference season — particularly over the next few weeks when their senior guard will be out. In that time, the Rams will face Seton Hall in the NIT Season Tip-Off, host Charleston, Providence, and Florida Gulf Coast, and will visit Alabama. If they can’t pick up a couple wins in that stretch, an at-large bid will be tough to secure in an Atlantic 10 that many believe is headed for a down year.

This will be the second time in his Rhode Island career that Matthews has missed extended time. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the 2015-16 season, forcing him to take a medical redshirt.

This year, Rhode Island is still plenty deep in the backcourt, with Jared Terrell, Stanford Robinson, Jeff Dowtin, Jarvis Garrett, and even freshman Fatts Russell capable of filling the void that Matthews leaves.

The Rams return to the court Sunday against Holy Cross for a game that will serve as a tuneup for the NIT during Thanksgiving week.