Mark Pope addresses why Trent Noah didn't play for Kentucky vs. Arkansas

Kentucky fans were left scratching their heads on Saturday when freshman Trent Noah didn’t see any action in the Wildcats’ 89-79 loss to Arkansas. After the game, UK head coach Mark Pope discussed his decision to not play Noah.

“Trent is actually super interesting to me,” Pope said. “With (Andrew Carr) coming back and (Ansley Almonor) playing so well.  I wonder if there is some space for Trent, actually at the three and I think that’s something to explore.  As we kind of reconfigure everything we are doing right now on the fly, he’s played well and there’s definitely space for him and it’s my job to find the right space.”

After not seeing any action through Kentucky’s first five games of conference play, Noah finally touched the court in Kentucky’s 74-69 loss to Vanderbilt on Jan. 25. With Andrew Carr out with a back injury, Pope gave Noah a chance.

While the Wildcats were unable to escape with a win, Noah showed promising flashes. In 12 minutes of play, Noah recorded two points, four rebounds and played solid defense — one of the larger concerns about Noah’s game entering the season.

Evidently, Pope liked what he saw. He played Noah for nine minutes in Kentucky’s following game against Tennessee. In the win, Noah scored five points on perfect 2-2 shooting.

Despite Noah’s efficient contributions, Pope didn’t see a spot on the court for Noah on Saturday, specifically with Carr returning from injury. In the loss, Carr scored three points while shooting 1-4 from the floor.

Although Pope has played Trent Noah at power forward this season due to roster considerations, it’s not the Kentucky native’s natural position. At only 6-foot-5, Noah lacks the size to be a traditional power forward in the SEC.

It seems likely that Noah may begin receiving more backcourt minutes moving forward. After all, that’s where Kentucky is currently the weakest. Lamont Butler has missed the last two games due to an ankle injury and veteran guard Kerr Kriisa is out indefinitely with a foot fracture.

In turn, Pope has given more minutes to freshmen Travis Perry and Collin Chandler. The latter particularly saw an uptick in action against Arkansas, logging 17 minutes on the court but only recording two points.

With Chandler also being 6-foot-5, Noah could take some of his minutes. Fans won’t have to wait long to see how Pope adjusts his lineups. On Tuesday, Kentucky will square off against No. 23 Ole Miss at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN.