John Calipari provides injury update, says Kentucky could be down three players vs. Alabama

Kentucky could be significantly shorthanded on Saturday against Alabama. Head coach John Calipari said on Friday that Kentucky could be down as many as two or three players when his team hosts Alabama. TyTy Washington has been dealing with an injury to his lower leg, and Sahvir Wheeler (wrist) and Jacob Toppin (ankle) have also been dealing with injuries as well.

“We’ll see,” Calipari said, via KSR’s Tyler Thompson. “I don’t know. I haven’t been at practice yet so we could be a couple down. Two or three down. I don’t know yet.”

Washington has played in 25 games this season, starting all of them. He is averaging 12.4 points per game, as well as 3.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.2 steals in 28.8 minutes. He is shooting 47.7% from the field and 35% from three-point range. Wheeler is in his first year at Kentucky after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Georgia. This year, he is averaging 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.3 steals while playing 30.5 minutes per game. Toppin is in his third collegiate season and second at Kentucky. He has one start and plays 15.6 minutes per game, averaging 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.

Kentucky is currently 21-5 on the season, including a 10-3 mark against SEC opponents. The Wildcats have five games remaining on the regular season schedule. Calipari knows that Kentucky needs a strong finish to the year, and that begins against Alabama, whether the Wildcats have a full roster available or not.

Calipari on TyTy Washington’s injury, availability for Kentucky

Kentucky fell at Tennessee on Tuesday, losing 76-63. Washington played just 13 minutes in the loss, scoring four points with three assists and three turnovers before he left the contest. The young guard was initially injured last Sunday against Florida. Calipari said on Friday that Washington wanted to play, but that Calipari didn’t want him to be out there without being at full strength. That will likely impact whether or not Calipari lets him suit up for Kentucky on Saturday against Alabama.

“He wanted to play,” Calipari said. “He wanted to help his team win. It’s hard to do that at 75-80%. You can’t. When you watch what we did, we started how we wanted to start and I liked where it was going, but his fight to want to win, it’s how he plays. He’s not worried about stats and you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that. He doesn’t listen to it. He shuts his phone off. The guys that listen have the weight of the world on them. You’ve got the weight of the world on you. Blame it on whoever you want to blame it on but he doesn’t do that.

“But again, I’ve got to protect him at times from himself. His body language, he was mad it happened. Not mad at anything else. He knew he couldn’t go in because I wasn’t going to let him back in.”