Jeff Greer

@jeffgreer_cj

Louisville basketball got some good news after a tough Monday night defeat at Virginia.

Quentin Snider, the team's starting point guard, has been cleared to practice again after missing six games with a strained hip flexor, a slight tear of the muscle.

Snider, Louisville's second-leading scorer, is expected to play Saturday against Miami, coach Rick Pitino said Wednesday. Deng Adel and Mangok Mathiang, who were both suspended for the Virginia game, will be back for the Miami game as well.

Snider, a Louisville native, averaged 12.1 points, four assists and 2.6 rebounds through the first 18 games of the season, but he suffered his injury in Louisville's 78-69 win over Duke on Jan. 14.

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Originally expected to miss 2-3 weeks, Snider took a little longer than anticipated to recover. Team doctors and trainers were concerned last week when a test showed his injury hadn't healed the way they'd hoped, Pitino said Friday.

"We were very cautious with him," Pitino said on his radio show Wednesday night.

But Snider was moving better and more freely over the past few days and is no longer limited to running in straight lines and set shooting to avoid aggravating his hip. He traveled with the team to each of its road games while he was sidelined, occasionally taking jump shots during pregame warmups.

Pitino said Louisville ran double sessions in practice Wednesday to get Snider up to speed.

Snider's return gives fourth-ranked Louisville (19-5, 7-4 ACC) a big boost after the Cards played the past six games with a makeshift lineup. Tony Hicks, Snider's primary replacement, broke his hand after three solid outings in Snider's place.

Donovan Mitchell, Louisville's top scorer, was forced to play the point guard spot with Hicks and Snider out. With their primary ball-handler back, the Cards now have the interesting challenge of reestablishing chemistry with Snider and Mitchell sharing the backcourt after Mitchell thrived in his new role.

The two had found some chemistry in the early few weeks of ACC play, working well with each other.

Snider's shooting percentage was rising by the game before his injury. He is shooting 50 percent from 3-point range and averaging 13.4 points and 4.4 assists in five ACC contests.