AMHERST - University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach Derek Kellogg is not counting on Cady Lalanne any time soon and might not have the freshman big man back at all this season.

Kellogg said Lalanne, who has been out with a foot injury since injuring it Dec. 30 against Central Connecticut, is due to see a doctor today to measure the progress of his rehabilitation.

"I still think he's a long way away, if he comes back at all this season," Kellogg said. "He's probably going to be in the (walking) boot for two or three more weeks. We'd be fortunate if we could get him for two or three games at the end of the year."

Lalanne, who also suffered a stress fracture to his foot before preseason practice started, was averaging 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game. He was originally expected to be out for four to six weeks.

"I was a little more optimistic when it happened," Kellogg said. "But the reality of it is that it may not happen this year."

While the remaining 10 Minutemen practiced, Lalanne joined Jordan Laguerre and Trey Lang in the weight room, while Sampson Carter sat on the Mullins Center bench with his crutches propped up beside him.

Carter is out for the season with a hip injury. He had surgery earlier this month.

"From all indications, the surgery went well," Kellogg said. "He's off (his feet) for a month where he can't do much on it, then he can start his rehab again."

Laguerre, who can practice but not play this season, is out with a shin injury. He went home for winter break and returned to campus this week.

"He's in a boot for another three or four weeks then we'll re-evaluate," Kellogg said.

Lang, a senior walk-on, has not practiced all season with knee injuries and is not expected to play this year.

A GOOD WEEK TO HAVE A BYE - Kellogg was glad that one of his team's two weeks without a midweek game during the conference season coincided with the start of classes on Monday.

"It was a great week to have with classes starting so guys can get their schedules taken care of and make sure they're in the right classes," Kellogg said. "It's good to be able to work out some of the kinks and not have a game in the first couple days of class to make sure we prioritize academics. They can worry about basketball later in the week."

The Minutemen (15-5, 4-2 Atlantic 10) host Saint Louis at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Mullins Center. The Billikens (16-4, 4-2 A-10) will be arriving with momentum as they beat Xavier 73-68 on Wednesday. It was the Musketeers' first conference loss at home since 2006.

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.