No. 15 Kentucky is coming off a big win over fifth-ranked Tennessee. However, as head coach Mark Pope and his Cats prepare for a trip to Texas on Saturday, UK is battling injuries to a number of key players.
Jaxson Robinson missed Tuesday night’s game with a wrist injury, while point guard Lamont Butler was injured during the win over the Vols. Both players are ailing and Pope didn’t seem to think that either of the two would be likely to play on Saturday.
“Timing wise and recovery wise, and there’s also a little bit of a guessing part, in terms of just the best medical treatment at the best time,” Pope said. “They’re both pretty serious injuries. The guys are desperate to play and they’re desperate to get healthy, short-term and long-term, and kind of balancing all those out with the calendar, not just for the season but for the summer and for next year. Trying to fit all those pieces together, and see day by day what kind of returns they get from new medical treatments.”
While the Cats will miss both Butler and Robinson, there will be opportunities, and a pair of Kentucky kids stepped up their games against Tennessee on Tuesday.
Harlan County native Trent Noah, known to his teammates as the “Mountain Mamba”, had a career-high 11 points for the Cats in the win, while Lyon County native and Kentucky Mr. Basketball Travis Perry had a career-best eight points. Pope sees roles for both of these players, as well as fellow freshman Collin Chandler.
“Those three guys, it’s just time for them to step up and be great,” Pope said. “We’re relying heavily on them and that’s what they want and that’s what we want and it’s awesome. I have a lot of confidence in those guys and it’s just time for us to be better. I thought they all three were spectacular on Tuesday and we expect them to be great this weekend also.”
On Saturday, the Cats take on Texas and the SEC’s leading scorer, Tre Johnson. Pope has seen Johnson on film and is impressed at nearly everything he does.
“He’s a problem because he makes hard shots, he makes bad shots,” Pope said. “It’s hard to live with any shots with him. He’s an incredibly talented player. He plays hard, he gives great effort. He’s aggressive. A real challenge.”
Kentucky will likely be shorthanded again on Saturday and if the Cats are to stop Johnson and the Longhorns, they will need some of the youngers to fill in admirably.
