Mark Pope updates the status of Trent Noah ahead of game against Valparaiso

Noah was held out of the second half of Tuesday's game against Nicholls.

Oct 24, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Trent Noah (9) returns to the bench during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Mark Pope already provided clarity on Jaland Lowe's status ahead of Friday's matchup with Valparaiso, saying he is expected to suit up for the Wildcats and make his Kentucky debut, but as for Trent Noah, he might not play on Friday.

According to Mark Pope, Noah is a "toss-up" to play against Valparaiso, but the head coach is leaning towards sitting the 6-5 wing out of caution, as he works to get back to fully healthy follwing an ankle injury in the first half of the game against Nicholls.

"I expect he's gonna be back soon. I don't think we'll practice him today. I don't know if he'll be available tomorrow. I'm guessing maybe it's probably a toss up whether he will be or not. I'm probably leaning to saving him and just trying to get him healthy. The one complicated thing about training you love players like this. I love having guys like this. I would kill to have a roster full of guys like this. But you know, he's never going to tell you that he's in pain, ever, ever, ever, and so I'll probably air a little bit on the side of caution."

Following his injury, Noah was on the court for warmups before the second half began, doing drills for his ankle and looked to have been moving pretty well. The good thing for Kentucky fans is that the injury seemed to be very minor, and Pope is making the smart decision to sit him and make sure he really is 100 percent before the huge matchup with Louisville on Tuesday.

Pope shared a story after Tuesday's game about what was said before the second half started, and it's really a testimant to how tough Noah is. "ne of the assistants came up to me and said, 'Trent's good to go.' And I was like, That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. Trent's the toughest dude I know he's in a lot of pain. He doesn't ever show that. So I went to our I went to our trainer Brandon Wells, walked down the sideline, I'm like, 'Brandon, is he ready to go? 'And he's like, 'Yeah, we just tested him. He cut, he ran, he said he's feeling fine.' And then my direct quote was like, 'Well, Trent Noah is a liar.' He just is such a tough kid, so I'm glad to be able to get through the game and not have to put him back in."

Kentucky may be without Noah on Friday, but the good thing for Kentucky fans is that it's out of caution and Pope is just making sure he is fully ready to go by Tuesday with a tough matchup awaiting them at Louisville.