SEC women's basketball scoring leader Chennedy Carter of Texas A&M will miss the conference tournament due to a finger injury, but is expected back for the NCAA tournament.

Carter, a sophomore guard, was hurt during the Aggies' victory Sunday against Arkansas, suffering a fracture to the little finger on her right (shooting) hand. She's had surgery and is expected to be evaluated in 10 days for a return to basketball activities, according to a release Tuesday from Texas A&M.

The Aggies, 23-6 overall and 12-4 in the SEC, are the No. 3 seed in the upcoming league tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. They open in the quarterfinals Friday. The women's NCAA tournament begins on March 22-23; the Aggies will find out March 18 which day they will play.

Texas A&M was one of the No. 4 seeds in Monday's early reveal of the NCAA's top 16, coming in at No. 16 overall. An SEC quarterfinal loss potentially could drop the Aggies out of the top 16, which would mean they would not get to host the early rounds.

Carter was announced Tuesday as a first-team All-SEC pick. She is averaging 22.5 points per game, best in the SEC and ninth in Division I. Last season, she was the espnW's national freshman of the year.