ROAD TO NCAA TOURNEY IS THRU THE WCC CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNEY

University of Portland senior guard Nik Raivio is expected to be sidelined another three to five weeks with a strained right Achilles’ tendon that has already kept him out the past three weeks.

Raivio, who sustained the injury during practice on Jan. 19, was reexamined Wednesday by one of the Trail Blazers’ team doctors, who confirmed that the Pilots’ top scorer and inspirational leader may not return before the end of the regular season, if at all.

“They said I probably won’t be able to play in any more conference games, but maybe the post-season,” Raivio said. “I’m trying to come back, if I can. I want to, really bad.

“The doctor said he’s seen this before with some of the Blazers and to not push it. It’s going to take time. You can’t do anything about it. Just let it heal up.”

Raivio, the 6-foot-4 guard from Vancouver's Mountain View High School, has appeared in 79 career games for the Pilots and is currently ranked 17th among the school’s all-time leading scorers with 1,130 career points.

In 17 games this season, Raivio had scored in double figures 14 times and was averaging 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 29.2 minutes a game. His last appearance was on Jan. 16 at Saint Mary's where he scored 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting in a 77-72 loss to the Gaels.

“Nik knows he has done everything he can to try to come back quickly,” Pilots coach Eric Reveno said. “Mainly, I feel for him, with this being his senior year. If I stop and think about it, which I’m not sure I have the luxury of doing, it hurts our basketball team tremendously. Guys will have to continue to step up and keep getting better.”

Most of Raivio’s playing time has gone to Nemanja Mitrovic, the 6-5 sophomore from Toronto, who averaged 5.8 points and 16.8 minutes off the bench in the first five games after the injury.

“If our best players are playing hard and playing well, now’s the time of year when they need to play,” Reveno said. “I don’t want to rotate just to rotate, but we do have some guys that are playing solid off the bench with the potential to contribute.

“If a guy needs a rest, we’ll have to use them. We’re going to need guys, so everyone on that bench at some point is going to have a chance to help us win.”

-- Jim Beseda