John Calipari provides updates on Aaron Bradshaw, Zvonimir Ivisic, Adou Thiero

Kentucky was fantastic on the court in its season-opening 86-46 win over New Mexico State. However, the ‘Cats haven’t been as fortunate off the hardwood. The team has dealt with a slew of injuries, most recently losing sophomore Adou Thiero in the second half against the Aggies.

Thiero checked himself out at the 12:35 mark of the second half after crashing to the ground on a shot block attempt. He stayed on the bench for a few minutes and eventually retreated to the locker room. After the game, head coach John Calipari provided an update on his condition.

“Adou has a headache, so it’ll be a day-to-day thing with him,” Calipari said.

Thiero tallied five points and seven rebounds before leaving the game. While Thiero was the only Wildcat to suffer a mid-game ailment, he isn’t alone in his misfortunes. Calipari claims Zvonimir Ivisic has been battling sickness for nearly a week.

“Now, going through the process with Z but he was sick for four days,” Calipari said. “This kid lost 10 pounds. You kidding me? I’m saying, ‘You’ve got buzzard’s luck, kid.’ So, whether he’ll be eligible or not, I don’t know if he could play Friday. He hasn’t practiced for five to six days.”

The 7-foot-3 freshman is cleared to practice and play in all intrasquad games. That said, he can not compete against outside competition, including exhibition games, until he is approved by the NCAA. While waiting, Ivisic will have plenty of time to gain back the weight he lost.

More paint problems for Kentucky

Of course, Ivisic is only one of Kentucky’s three 7-footers who are currently unavailable. Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso are both still recovering from foot surgeries they underwent in the summer. Due to the time of the injuries, Calipari believes Bradshaw is closer to a return than Onyenso.

“Aaron is ahead of Ugonna by two weeks,” Calipari said. “Now, what does that mean? I don’t know, but he’s ahead of him. He’s jumping and doing stuff. He’s still probably a week or two weeks from trying to practice and be with us.”

The Kentucky bigs’ absences weren’t noticeable on Monday. In the win, the ‘Cats grabbed 12 more rebounds than New Mexico State. Additionally, UK scored 46 points in the paint compared to the Aggies’ mere 20.

On Friday, Kentucky will square off against Texas A&M-Commerce at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.