Calipari provides injury updates on CJ Fredrick, Oscar Tshiebwe

John Calipari has a deep roster of talented players, but preseason injuries have prevented us from getting a clean look at all of them. Heading into the season-opener against Duke on Tuesday night inside of Madison Square Garden, Kentucky still won’t be fully healthy.

Let’s start with the good news first: Jacob Toppin is 100 percent healthy. Calipari implied multiple times during his Monday press conference that Toppin will likely fit into the rotation against the Blue Devils, too. The junior forward was nursing a shoulder injury but played well against Miles College and said afterward that he’s at full strength.

Now for the more pressing injuries.

Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe has been dealing with a minor hip issue that has limited his playing time through the two exhibition games. Calipari said on Monday that the West Virginia transfer is still a “bit nicked up” but that he’ll be ready to play.

“He’s okay. He’s a little bit nicked up,” Calipari said of Tshiebwe. “But you know, this is one of those that, let’s go, but he gives us a physical presence.”

If there is one position that Kentucky is thin at, it’s the backup center. Calipari will need as much production from Tshiebwe as he can get against a tall Duke frontline.

As for sharpshooter CJ Fredrick, who hadn’t practiced according to Calipari up until this past weekend, he’s finally back on the court. The Iowa transfer did not play in any of the exhibition games as he recovers from an offseason leg injury.

Fredrick will be slowly reincorporated into the team, though, Calipari said. The redshirt junior guard might see the floor for a couple of minutes on Tuesday, but nothing more.

“He practiced Saturday a little bit, he practiced Sunday a little bit, he’s practicing today a little bit,” Calipari said of Fredrick. “My guess is–I may throw him in for a minute or two, just let him run up and down. But this probably isn’t that game. But it’s just good to have him back on the court, competing.”

The most important thing we can take away from Cal’s comments on Monday morning is that everyone is getting where they need to be health-wise.