DJ Wagner ruled out for second half vs. Miami due to lower body injury

Kentucky guard DJ Wagner has been ruled out for the second half of Tuesday’s game against Miami due to a lower body injury. Head coach John Calipari initially said it was “unknown” if he’d come back when ESPN’s Kris Budden spoke with him.

Wagner limped to the locker room in the first half after landing awkwardly on a finish with 4:22 to play. At the time, he had five points, an assist and a block in 10 minutes of action.

Kentucky took a 42-35 lead into the break, but got off to a fast start in the second half to take a 73-47 lead at the under-12 minute media timeout. The Wildcats didn’t look back, defeating Miami 95-73 to get a resounding top-10 victory on their home court at Rupp Arena.

After the game, Calipari confirmed Wagner suffered a “lower extremity injury” and said it was probably an ankle injury. It’s still unclear how severe the injury is, but a diagnosis is a step toward getting answers.

“I did not see DJ. But, I think they said his ankle,” Calipari said in his postgame press conference, via KSR’s Drew Franklin. “He just didn’t — he wasn’t going to come back, so we were really short-handed.”

More on DJ Wagner

Wagner was a critical piece of Kentucky’s highly touted recruiting class this year. He was a Five Star Plus+ prospect, meaning he was one of the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star. A product of Camden (N.J.) High School, he was the No. 7 overall recruit from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Early in his college career, Wagner has settled in well. He ranks fourth on the Kentucky roster with 14.5 points per game along with 3.7 assists per game and shooting 41% fro the field. This past week, he earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after averaging 25 points and 5.5 assists against Saint Joseph’s and Marshall.

Tuesday’s victory improved Kentucky to 6-1 on the season, with the only loss coming to then-No. 1 Kansas in the Champions Classic earlier this month. The Wildcats have been firing on all cylinders offensively, with four players — Wagner, Tre Mitchell, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard — averaging at least 14.5 points per game.

Next up for UK is another home game, this time against UNC Wilmington on Dec. 2.