Kentucky’s greatest issue is completely out of its control

In a season filled with title contenders, Kentucky has cemented its place among them. Each and every team comes with its own unique issues, though. Whether it’s a problem on offense or defense, or if it’s on or off the court, those issues can be worked out in the months leading into March. With the regular season nearly over, the Wildcats have seemingly solved all their problems…well, except for one.

Injuries are one of the worst parts of the game. They can happen at any moment to any player and derail a season in a heartbeat. In Kentucky’s case, it’s something they’ve been unable to shake since the very start of the season.

Ahead of the season-opener against Duke, Lance Ware was in a walking boot. It was announced after that game that CJ Fredrick would miss the remainder of the season with an injured hamstring. Jacob Toppin was able to play in the Champion’s Classic, but he missed the Wildcats’ next four with a shoulder injury he had going into that matchup. A non-COVID illness took out Keion Brooks for one game and Davion Mintz for three. After all that to start the year, Kentucky had a good stretch of health.

That was until the Wildcats’ first SEC road game in Baton Rouge. Sahvir Wheeler got taken out on a screen that injured his neck and caused him to miss two games. With a heavier workload, TyTy Washington suffered from cramps down the stretch in that game as well. A few weeks later, Washington went down against Auburn with an ankle sprain that would keep him out of the next game against Mississippi State. In a similar fashion, Wheeler reaggravated his neck injury on yet another screen as well.

A pair of back-to-back twisted ankles for Toppin and Oscar Tshiebwe against Mississippi State had fans holding their breath, but both were able to return. That was until Toppin would hurt his ankle again against South Carolina which would keep him out against Florida. Against the Gators, Washington would suffer yet another leg injury that would hinder his performance against Tennessee.

Phew…I think I got them all. It’s not that anyone needed a full season’s review on injuries, but a concerning trend is rearing its head. That is a lot of different types of injuries that have affected almost everyone in the lineup at one point or another. Whether they’ve missed a matter of minutes or a whole stretch of games, they do make a difference in outcomes. Kentucky has shown time and time again they can beat anyone, but they’re equally as exposed when missing one of their key puzzle pieces.

Of all the weaknesses a team can have, an injury problem has to be the most frustrating. They’re out of everyone’s control and fixing an injury is the most unpredictable answer to try to come up with. Your team can’t shoot or has a poor offense? Get shots up, insert new plays or change lineups. Your team can’t defend? Look for new schemes or lineups that benefit you in matchups. Can’t stay healthy, though? There’s nothing to do but get treatment, heal as quickly and effectively as you can, and cross your fingers.

The greatest ability is availability. It doesn’t matter how skilled someone is if they’re unavailable to play come game time. That’s the reality Kentucky is facing at the moment. After the Tennessee game, John Calipari said he shouldn’t have played Washington in Knoxville. With that said and five regular-season games left against quality teams, this team might have to go with a ‘big picture’ mindset to close the season. Wins and seeding matter, but not at the expense of tarnishing postseason dreams.

Kentucky has about three weeks to solve its biggest weakness. It could come at the expense of risking another loss on the schedule down the stretch, but this team will need near-perfect health in the month of March to win either a conference or national title. If they are, they can beat anyone in the country. If health isn’t in their cards, it could end up being another “what if?” that Kentucky will never get an answer to.