Kentucky’s postseason play is fast approaching, and one of the most significant storylines to keep an eye on is the health of guards Cason Wallace, CJ Fredrick, and Sahvir Wheeler. Coach John Calipari provided an update on their status during his weekly radio show on Monday.
“None of the three practiced [Monday],” Calipari said. “Our practice was a film session. We have [Tuesday] and Wednesday’s practice. They’re going to have to start practicing…You don’t just, ‘Okay, I’m ready for Friday.’ You’re going to have to get on the floor at some point and we’ll see. I can’t tell you.”
Sounds like the Cats may be going again without Wheeler for sure, CJ is a maybe and he may not be able to give significant minutes and Wallace is up in the air….This doesn’t sound good for the Cats.
Freshman guard Cason Wallace, who has been the steady hand at point this season, suffered an ankle injury during Kentucky’s loss to Vanderbilt last Wednesday and missed the team’s win against Arkansas on Saturday. Wallace has started all 29 of his appearances this season and is an SEC All-Freshman Team selection. He’s averaging 11.7 points, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game.
CJ Fredrick, who missed four games with a rib injury, just recently returned to the court. Against Arkansas, he played 15 minutes, finishing with two points and four assists. Coach Calipari called Fredrick “the most impactful player” in that game and said, “without him, we don’t win the game.”
Sahvir Wheeler hasn’t played since February 4th due to an ankle injury and underwent a separate, minor procedure last Wednesday. He also missed the Wildcats Senior Night and was absent from Rupp Arena. Coach Calipari had previously stated that he expected Wheeler to miss one or two more weeks.
Despite these injuries, Kentucky picked up a Quad 1 win against Arkansas in their regular-season finale. The Wildcats were without a true point guard, but they still managed to beat the Razorbacks, with Antonio Reeves scoring a career-high 37 points, Jacob Toppin contributing 21 points, and Oscar Tshiebwe adding 12 points and 13 rebounds. The team also got 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.
Kentucky will start postseason play in the 2023 SEC Tournament, which will take place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville from March 8-12. They’ll face the winner of the game between (11) Georgia or (14) LSU vs. (6) Vanderbilt in the late game on Friday night at around 9:00 PM ET.
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