Kentucky basketball is having a successful first season under Mark Pope, as the Wildcats are rolling towards an NCAA Tournament bid despite a year of transition.
Kentucky has had to navigate a gauntlet of an SEC schedule despite dealing with a lot of injuries. Guard Kerr Kriisa has missed a large chunk of the season with a foot injury and guards Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson have been dealing with various injuries that have kept them out recently.
Before Wednesday’s game against Oklahoma, Kentucky got some very positive news about its 2 guards, via college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.
“Kentucky’s Lamont Butler (shoulder) and Jaxson Robinson (wrist) are both probable for Wednesday’s game at Oklahoma, per the SEC Injury Report,” Rothstein wrote on X.
Butler and Robinson are Kentucky’s two top point guards without Kriisa in the lineup, so Pope and the rest of the Wildcats will be thrilled that they are likely back in the lineup on Wednesday night. Butler has been dealing with a shoulder injury that he re-injured in a win against Tennessee and has missed the last three games while Robinson is dealing with a right wrist issue that has kept him out for the last four contests.
Robinson is Kentucky’s second-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game, so having him back will really help boost the team’s offense. Butler also averages 12.5 points per game, good for third on the team, and leads the Wildcats with 4.6 assists a night.
Both Butler and Robinson are capable shooters on the perimeter as well, which should open things up on the interior for someone like Otega Oweh. Oweh had one of his worst games of the season on Saturday against Alabama, finishing just 1-for-9 from the field with two points. That lack of spacing that Kentucky had to deal with because of the injuries definitely played a part in that, so he should have an easier time against the Sooners.
Kentucky basketball is solidly in the NCAA Tournament, but there is still a lot of work to do to improve its seeding. The Wildcats are currently seen as a No. 3 or a No. 4 seed in many projections, but a few more wins could solidify them on the No. 2 or No. 3 line. Getting Butler and Robinson back will make that a lot easier for Pope and company.
The post Kentucky’s injury report for Oklahoma game will have Wildcats fans smiling appeared first on ClutchPoints.
