Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson injury update: Kentucky reveals status vs. Texas

Kentucky guards Jaxson Robinson (wrist) and Lamont Butler (shoulder) are both out for the Wildcats’ showdown against Texas on Saturday, according to the SEC injury report. Robinson missed Kentucky’s last game, as well.

Butler played in Kentucky’s 75-64 win over Tennessee on Tuesday but reaggravated his shoulder injury in the second half after diving for a loose ball and didn’t return to the game. In 22 minutes of play, Butler recorded six points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals. He didn’t commit a turnover.

Butler had only been back for two games after missing three contests due to his injury. Kentucky went 1-2 during that stretch. The team has shown significant improvement on defense since Butler’s return. It’s no coincidence considering Butler is a two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.

After Kentucky’s win on Tuesday, Wildcats head coach Mark Pope discussed Butler’s injury.

“Lamont’s was super scary,” Pope said. “It was right in front of me. He went down and the second he went down, you could kind of see as he extended out that it just torqued his shoulder a little bit. Exactly what we didn’t want to do… We’ll patchwork it together, keep figuring it out. I think he was brilliant tonight.”

Pope wasn’t nearly as optimistic about Jaxson Robinson’s injury. The BYU transfer is Kentucky’s second-leading scorer this season, averaging 13.3 points per game while shooting 38.1% from 3-point range.

“I’m not sure we’re going to get him back anytime soon,” Pope said. “But I’m hoping, I’m praying that we get him back sooner.”

Fortunately for Kentucky, the team has proven it’s able to find success without Butler and Robinson on the court. After Butler exited the game on Saturday against Tennessee, Kentucky finished the contest on a 21-12 run to secure the win.

Now, Kentucky must capture that same success if it hopes to stand a chance against the Longhorns. The Wildcats aren’t the only ones battling injuries. Texas’ second-leading scorer Arthur Kaluma was listed as doubtful on the availability report on Friday.

Kaluma missed most of the second half in Texas’ 103-80 loss to Alabama on Tuesday. Kaluma is averaging 12.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game this season while shooting 48.4% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc.

Kentucky and Texas will square off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will air live on ESPN.