4-Point Play: DJ Wagner unlikely to play vs. Tennessee

It’s about that time, BBN. The clock is inching closer and closer toward tipoff between No. 10 Kentucky and No. 5 Tennessee inside Rupp Arena, set for 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

A few notes before the chaos begins in Lexington.

Can the Cats respond without DJ Wagner?

Kentucky is 0-2 without its prized freshman leading the charge. We’ll have to see if the Cats can avoid a third home loss with Wagner sidelined, his ankle injury expected to keep him out for a second consecutive game, KSR has learned.

The rookie standout has been fighting through pain all season, injuring his ankle in September and reaggravating it in the win over Miami back on Nov. 28. He’s played at less than 100 percent and now he’s dealing with the lingering effects, forcing him to miss time. How much? That remains up in the air. Until then, Kentucky will have to figure out how to win without him for the first time, this time against top-five competition.

A difficult test just got tougher.

Justin Edwards is expected to give it a go

While Wagner is expected to miss his second straight game, his freshman counterpart is back in the rotation after missing Kentucky’s last matchup with a quad injury. Edwards planned to practice Friday and hoped to play Saturday vs. Tennessee — a finalist in his recruitment out of high school. After a strong couple of days, he’s trending toward playing with his mind set on a breakthrough performance.

His matchup? None other than Dalton Knecht, a top contender for SEC Player of the Year alongside Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves. The hope is a solid defensive effort springboards his confidence and paves the path for a big finish to close out his debut season as a Wildcat.

If there was ever a time to make the jump, it’s now.

How does Rick Barnes plan to stop Kentucky?

Tennessee enters the matchup with the No. 2 defense in college basketball while Kentucky boasts the nation’s No. 3 scoring offense. It’s a battle of defense vs. offense.

What’s the plan for the Volunteers to slow down the Wildcats?

“They’re very explosive and can give it to you from all different levels in all different ways. Great speed. A team that can really go on big runs against you,” UT coach Rick Barnes said ahead of the game. “But I think (John Calipari) would probably be happy that he’s getting a little bit more balance all the way around. But really, really, really explosive basketball team. And he obviously presents problems. He’s always had a team that would run.

“We’ve always talked about transition being a big key playing against Kentucky because of how fast they can get down the floor and get in the open court and try to play in space. And so transition defense is really important, obviously, and knowing that they’ve got guys that can, if they get space, they don’t need space. They’ve got some guys that can play off the bounce, but also guys that can really go up and make some very difficult shots.”

Something’s got to give there.

Meleek Thomas arrives for official visit

The focus is on the current Cats and what they can do against the Vols, but they’ve also got a pretty important visitor in town to keep an eye on. 2025 five-star shooting guard Meleek Thomas arrived in Lexington for his official on Saturday and will stick around through Sunday.

The dynamic scorer out of Pittsburgh is considered the No. 6 overall prospect and No. 2 player at his position in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking.

Kentucky rolled out the blue carpet for the 6-3 guard upon his arrival.

Meleek Thomas, a class of 2025 five-star shooting guard, has arrived in Lexington for his official visit 😼

(Via IG: meleek.thomas) pic.twitter.com/ZpW8QzwlOK

— KSR (@KSRonX) February 3, 2024

Something to keep in mind: Thomas is also a potential reclass candidate for 2024. A name to watch closely as the Cats round out the class.