Kentucky Star Nerlens Noel Leaves Game Against Florida After Suffering Knee Injury That Left Him Screaming In Pain [UPDATE]

This is tough to watch (and to listen to, since it might be the sound of a promising NBA career being tossed into the spinning wheel of injury fate). Midway through the second half of Kentucky's bout in Gainesville—one the Wildcats would lose by a 69-52 score—freshman phenom Nerlens Noel crashed into a basket standard and immediately clutched his knee; the hushed O-Dome only served to amplify his screams. (We do like that a Kentucky staff member came up to a clearly-tormented Noel and asked, "You OK?")

While Noel has a way to go in the offensive department before he'll be a pro-league superstar, his defensive abilities speak for themselves. We'll update when we get news on his injury, and hope it's a good word. [ESPN]

Update (9:23 p.m.): Our friend Andy Staples from Sports Illustrated says Noel left the O-Dome in a wheelchair.