NORMAL - Illinois State basketball coach Tim Jankovich said Wednesday that X-rays on the injured left ankle of junior forward Brandon Sampay came back negative.

Sampay was injured with 11:39 left in Tuesday's 81-49 victory over Chicago State. He sat on the bench the rest of the game with ice on his ankle and departed the court on crutches after the game.

Jankovich isn't sure of Sampay's status for Saturday's 7:05 p.m. home game against Illinois-Chicago.

"It's hard to tell how fast he can come back," said Jankovich.

ISU could be short-handed in the frontcourt against Illinois-Chicago. Junior forward Mike Vandello didn't play Tuesday because of tendinitis in his knee. If Sampay and Vandello are unavailable, the Redbirds would be down to Anthony Slack, Dinma Odiakosa and Levi Dyer in the frontcourt.

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