NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Texas freshman Mohamed Bamba said he's ready to play a full 40 minutes against Nevada during the Longhorns' first game of the NCAA tournament on Friday.
Bamba, a projected NBA draft lottery pick, played 14 minutes during Texas' loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament. The 6-foot-11 center missed the previous three games dealing with a toe injury.
"I'm ready to play 40," Bamba said Thursday. "I'm doing well. My wind is back from being out three or four games. I'm doing well, getting back into the flow of things. Real excited."
Bamba is averaging 12.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this season.
He said that having the week off between the conference and NCAA tournament was a big help in terms of his recovery.
"This week, we've taken care of my body, gotten better as far as, you know, putting in good deposits on the court as far as practice," he said. "And it's just, again, a good week to just decompress and start over."
Texas won two of the three games Bamba missed, but has lost seven of 19 games since February.
Bamba said he's looking forward to the fresh start as well as the big stage the tournament provides.
"You look at some of the Texas greats like [Kevin Durant] and T.J. Ford and the legacy they left on the program is mainly based on what they did in March," he said. "The opportunity and the platform is there for me now. It's just my time to seize it."