Speaking via teleconference this morning, John Thompson III had an explanation for last night’s loss to Cincinnati.

“Mentally we weren’t prepared to try and win a game coming down to crunch time without having DaJuan [Summers] as part of the equation.”

Unless Thompson can get his team mentally prepared by Saturday, things aren’t looking good for the Hoyas against Marquette. Commenting on the status of his leading scorer, who was injured late in the first half last night, Thompson said “it doesn’t look good” for the game in Milwaukee. While he was still waiting for Summers to return from the doctor, Thompson speculated that the junior forward might have plantar fasciitis. (UPDATE: Looks like it’s being called a strained muscle and his official status is day-to-day)

I haven’t seen Summers myself today, but a poster on the HoyaTalk forums reports that he was walking around campus on crutches and wearing a boot. Already reeling after four straight losses, the Hoyas may not be able to recover if they lose one of their few veterans for an extended length of time.