Cason Wallace not expected to go vs. Arkansas, CJ Fredrick will play

It’s sounding more and more likely that Kentucky will be without its starting point guard today.

According to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim, Cason Wallace is not expected to play on Saturday afternoon against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Kentucky floor general suffered a lower leg injury during the Wildcats’ most recent outing, a 68-66 loss to Vanderbilt on Wednesday, in which he missed the majority of the second half and did not return. Additionally, during ESPN’s College Gameday on Saturday morning, analyst Seth Greenberg also indicated that Wallace will not play.

Wallace, a projected NBA lottery pick, has been Kentucky’s best backcourt option since SEC action began. He’s averaging 11.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 30.2 minutes per game during conference play. His production will be sorely missed against the Hogs.

But there is some good news: Pilgrim also reports that shooting guard CJ Fredrick will play against Arkansas despite dealing with serious pain as a result of a cracked rib he suffered a couple of weeks ago. With Wallace going down early in the second half against Vanderbilt, Fredrick was forced into a larger role that exacerbated his injury, but he’s expected to go it a go in Fayetteville.

“(Fredrick is) just battling a tough injury,” Kentucky associate to the head coach Bruiser Flint said on Friday. “He knows he’s going to get hit, knows it’s going to affect him at times. But he’s a tough kid, battles through things. He’s been injured a little bit this season. If he’s feeling it, if he feels good — that’s one thing about him, he’s going to give it a chance. He’ll get out there if he can.”

With Kentucky already down Sahvir Wheeler, losing Wallace isn’t ideal, especially against an Arkansas group with so many talented guards. The ‘Cats will still look to pull off the road upset this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. EST on CBS.