ALBANY - Sophomore point guard Mike Black will miss his third consecutive game because of a left ankle sprain.

"He'll make the trip," said UAlbany coach Will Brown, just before the team departed for New Jersey, for Saturday's game against Fairleigh Dickinson. "He won't play. He gave it a good 30-minute effort today and we had to shut him down. He's not ready physically nor mentally."

Brown said that Black could possibly play Tuesday against Iona, but more than likely will be back for the post-Thanksgiving tournament in Detroit.

Brown is hoping that his sophomore point guard can get back to 90 percent before he returns to action.

"Mike helps us win games," Brown said. "He's our general. He's our best player. It's just one of those things where, one, he has to be comfortable. He's not going to help us because all he's going to think about his foot. Two, as much as we want him back now, immediately, short-term, we've got to think long term. What matters most at our level and for us is conference play. We have to make sure when he comes back to play in the non-conference, he's healthy and that he's ready to go come conference play."