Persistent Injuries Pose Significant and Familiar Issue for Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. — With seven games left in the regular season, Kentucky basketball is fighting for its NCAA Tournament life, reeling after a 15-point loss at home to Arkansas on Tuesday.
The Wildcats entered the 2022-23 campaign as the No. 4 team in the nation, as coach John Calipari had seemingly created a blend of talented freshmen and experienced veterans, a unique but coveted mixture of players.
Insert one devastating defeat after another, and Kentucky is now 16-8, the second-worst record a Calipari-coached team has had in Lexington through 24 games.
The aforementioned drubbing at the hands of the Razorbacks spoiled a six-game SEC winning streak for the Cats — a stretch that had revitalized a deflated team and fanbase. Now with three home losses and zero momentum to speak of, the road ahead appears much more difficult than it did 48 hours ago.
One overarching issue that's slowly taken a toll on Kentucky all season is injuries. It's something that all 363 Division I programs have to deal with, but there doesn't seem to be any signs of it coming to an end for the Cats.
With less than an hour before tipoff on Tuesday, UK announced that point guard Sahvir Wheeler would miss the game due to an ankle injury. Calipari disclosed during pregame radio that the Georgia transfer had rolled it in practice.
For Wheeler alone, it's the third different injury he's suffered this season. He missed the season-opener against Howard after picking up a knee knock in an exhibition, then sat out in UK's win at Tennessee with a shoulder ailment.
Just like the other two injuries, the rolled ankle will likely keep him out just the one game — if not a very short period of time. Nevertheless, it's a bulk of issues that stack up over time.
Following the Arkansas loss, Calipari also discussed the ever-concerning health of shooting guard CJ Fredrick. In the Cats' win over Florida last weekend, the Cincinnati native took a spill under the basket, running into a cameraman after making a layup.
After getting up, he walked back to the bench holding his left ribs. He would finish the game and also play against Arkansas, though he notched zero points in just 21 minutes in the loss.
"His ribs were bothering him," Calipari said of Fredrick. "He's another one that probably should not have played, and you could see that he was hurting the whole time, but he was giving everything he had."
Fredrick's history of injuries are well-documented. It was a left hamstring injury that ended his 2021-22 season before it even began, as it was suffered in layup lines before the season-opener against Duke in New York City.
This season, it was a finger dislocation suffered in Columbia, Mo. in Kentucky's loss to Missouri on Dec. 28 that sidelined the shooter for three games. He would go on to play the next stretch of games with a splint on that finger, finally removing it before the rib issue emerged.
Perhaps the most worrisome of all is freshman sensation Cason Wallace. The electric guard has dealt with back spasms across the season, notably making an appearance in UK's loss to South Carolina on Jan. 10. He has worn a back brace while on the bench this year.
Wallace also recently missed the Wildcats' road win at Ole Miss, as he was dealing with a knee issue that kept him on the bench for just the one game. He's been on a tear as of late, scoring a combined 44 points in his last two outings. The back issue is one that isn't going away, so it'll always be around in some facet for the rest of the season.
Again, none of the ailments have done significant damage, but they present a similar pattern to the one that internally derailed the Cats come March last year.
Kentucky wasn't publicly sporting any significant knocks and bruises when the postseason rolled around, but it was somewhat evident before and after the fact.
Last year's standout freshman guard TyTy Washington Jr. finished his lone season in Lexington averaging 12.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds. On Feb. 12 against Florida, a lower leg injury ended his game. He would make a surprising return just three days later at Tennessee, but the leg would prove bothersome as he played just 13 minutes.
After missing two games, the current Houston Rocket made a proper return, but he wasn't the same. Neither was veteran Davidson transfer, Kellan Grady.
Despite starting 34 games for the Wildcats a year ago, Grady was battling through plantar fasciitis. The sharpshooter averaged 11.4 PPG for UK, but he slumped hard to finish the season, shooting 1-8 in the SEC Tournament semifinal loss to Tennessee, then 1-9 in the infamous NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Peter's just five days later.
"It was brutal. I dealt with it all year," Grady told Kentucky Sports Radio after the fact. "I found a way to go about it and try to get myself well enough for every game, but I think it undoubtedly took a toll on me to a degree as the season went on.”
The abysmal — and injured — guard play contributed to Kentucky's embarrassing crash out of March Madness. If injuries continue to nag Wheeler, Wallace and Fredrick — who combine for 27.3 PPG, 10.7 APG and 6.8 RPG — then a similar fate could arrive. That is, if Kentucky makes the Big Dance.
Without Wheeler, Calipari played just seven — including a beaten-down Fredrick — in the loss to Arkansas. Bench pieces like Adou Thiero, Lance Ware and Ugonna Onyenso are available, but barely any time on the court is only hindering their chances to make an impact if called upon late in the year.
Kentucky is beginning a metaphorical limp to the finish line. If it isn't careful, that limp will be literal in no time.
More on the loss to Arkansas HERE.
More on Daimion Collins HERE.
Game notes from the defeat can be found HERE.
Everything John Calipari said after the loss HERE.
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