McDermott in general seems very conservative about injuries during the regular season, which I think is a good thing. It is not black and white like you say (how often do we see guys playing in the playoffs with nagging injuries they would have sat out for in the regular season). A lot of the medical clearance depends on the players themselves reporting how they feel. A non-conference game against a bad team is about as low stakes as you'll get, and anybody who is borderline should sit.