Northwestern starting center Arrinten Page took a scary spill in an exhibition game against Iowa State this weekend. Today, head coach Chris Collins told the media that he's likely going to be just fine.

“Arrinten’s gonna be okay. A little scary there, he landed a little bit awkwardly in the Iowa State game. It ended up being a mild tweak in the ankle. He was able to work out yesterday," Collins said.

Those were words Northwestern fans needed to hear. Of course, every starter is crucial to the 'Cats' success this year, but perhaps nobody's health is more important than the Cincinnati transfer.

There's a clear lack of depth at the center spot for Collins's squad this season. Behind Page, freshman Cade Bennerman is the only true center on the roster. It's unclear whether he's going to be ready for real minutes at any point this season, so the 'Cats are already likely to play small ball when Page is on the bench.

Losing Page, though, would present the team with a pretty bad problem for a couple of reasons. Besides the lack of depth, Northwestern's dealt with center injuries before, and it hasn't been good.

Matt Nicholson went down at the end of the season multiple times in his NU career, and the team was noticeably worse. In recent history, Northwestern goes as its defense does, and Collins's scheme runs through the center.

Without Nicholson, the system held up and kept the 'Cats in games, but it clearly wasn't the same. As Nicholson's replacement, Page is going to be tasked with learning the system and impacting the game on that end of the floor.

But Page is also a very different player than Nicholson was. He's more offensively gifted, with natural looking post moves and a nose for the basket. The 'Cats are also hoping he'll give them real offensive production from the five, something Nicholson didn't always provide.

All this is to say, losing Page before the season even started would have been catastrophic. Northwestern would have been losing a player with the potential to impact games on both ends, and it doesn't have the size behind him to compete in the Big Ten.

The reality is, this will be a storyline all season. Page's health will continue to be crucial, as well as his production. A lot is riding on him being as advertised.

For now, though, 'Cats fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

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