Justin Anderson injury update: Bennett "hopeful" about return

In his weekly press conference, Virginia head coach Tony Bennett provided an update on Justin Anderson's progress. Anderson was poised to return to action after missing a month with a broken finger before having an appendectomy last Thursday.

Bennett says Justin Anderson (appendectomy) has done some light shooting, but still has to withstand a hard practice to get cleared.

— Whitelaw Reid (@WhiteysWorld365) March 9, 2015

Bennett went on to add that he is "hopeful [Justin's] going to play -- if not the ACC Tournament, then the NCAA Tournament."  It's more likely that Anderson initially plays in short bursts - he'll have stamina to regain and rust to shake off.

Last week, we looked at a couple cases and found that players with appendectomies have returned to play in games roughly 10 days after surgery; however, that number is variable, depending on a variety of factors, such as the invasiveness of surgery.  By that measure, a return late in the ACC Tourney would be unlikely but possible, while Anderson playing in the NCAA Tournament seems like a good bet.