CJ Fredrick and Sahvir Wheeler did NOT practice Monday, John Calipari says

The status of two key players, CJ Fredrick and Sahvir Wheeler, is still up in the air as we’re a little over 48 hours until tipoff.

During his weekly radio call-in show, Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari provided some *very* minor injury updates on the backcourt duo. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like either player is trending toward playing on Wednesday night against Mississippi State in Starkville, but it’s not out of the question just yet. Calipari noted that neither Fredrick nor Wheeler participated in practice on Monday and that the staff will see what happens with Tuesday’s practice before making a final call for Wednesday.

“They didn’t practice today. So you know we’ll see tomorrow,” Calipari said.

Fredrick, who just can’t seem to catch a break with his health, is dealing with a cracked rib that he suffered against Florida last weekend. He stayed in the game despite falling hard on a cameraman and then played through the injury in the loss to Arkansas last Tuesday.

However, Fredrick was ultimately ruled out ahead of Saturday’s loss to Georgia after clearly playing at less than 100 percent.

This is not the first time Fredrick has been sidelined with an injury during his college career. He missed all of last season with a torn hamstring and dislocated the middle finger on his shooting hand earlier this year, which forced him to miss a few games and eventually wear a splint once he returned. 

Fredrick was finally able to remove the splint in last weekend’s win over Florida, but this new injury has forced him back to the bench once again. The former Iowa transfer is averaging 7.1 points per game while shooting 30.2 percent from distance during nine SEC games.

As for Wheeler, the senior point guard has missed the last two games for Kentucky with a minor ankle injury that he initially suffered during practice one week ago. While his role has fluctuated over the last several weeks, he’s a necessary component of this team and will be a critical piece down the stretch once fully healthy. Wheeler has been dealing with multiple injuries throughout the season, including his shoulder, which kept him out of the Tennessee game in mid-January. But it’s his ankle that is giving him fits for the second time this season.