Lamont Butler's return gives Kentucky its 'heart and soul' back: "He's our captain."

Kentucky was lost without Lamont Butler on both ends, struggling to get the ball up the floor offensively and providing minimal resistance defensively. The Cats survived on adrenaline at Tennessee with Jaxson Robinson running point guard, but the wheels fell off in back-to-back matchups vs. Arkansas and at Ole Miss.

Dealing with a shoulder injury suffered against Texas A&M on January 14, Butler played through the pain until the Vanderbilt loss on Jan. 25 before missing the next three. Kentucky lost four of five in that stretch. With the fifth-year senior back against South Carolina, the Wildcats put together their best defensive performance of the year, holding the Gamecocks to their second-worst scoring output on the year while allowing just 32.8 percent shooting and 18.2 percent from three.

How much credit does Butler deserve for setting the tone on that end of the floor en route to the 80-57 victory?

“It certainly helps having Lamont back,” Mark Pope said following the win. “… Very much helped us having Lamont back, just his presence. We just taped him up and rolled him out there. His presence really helped us for sure.”

Butler’s numbers won’t blow you away, finishing with eight points on 2-5 shooting with three assists, one rebound, one steal and three turnovers in 23 minutes. His impact, though, extends so far beyond the box score, disrupting 94 feet as a defender while moving the ball and creating open looks on offense. He’s the straw that stirs the drink.

“Oh it was huge, like just his presence helps us out so much, offensively, defensively,” Otega Oweh said of Butler. “I mean, I’ve asked him every single day since he’s been out if he was playing. I’m just glad he got to suit up today.”

Don’t worry, Otega, you’re not alone. Big Blue Nation has been desperate for the fifth-year guard to make his return and give the backcourt its stable presence that has been clearly missing.

“We missed him. When we are out there, you can tell that having him back does major things for our team,” Brandon Garrison added. “Having him back allows us to have more steals, a quicker response and a confidence boost.”

“Offensively, he’s a tremendous player in terms of putting pressure on the defense. Getting in the paint and kicking it out, dropping off to the bigs and everything,” Koby Brea added. “Defensively, he’s our heart and soul. He’s what every team would want in a player. We follow him, he sets the tone for us. He did a great job of that for us today and he’s going to continue doing that for us.”

What’s it like as an opposing coach watching a team fall apart leading up to a matchup, then come back together so quickly immediately upon one player’s return?

“More than anything, aside from him being a good player, it think it changes the dynamics of what some other guys are out there doing on the court,” USC coach Lamont Paris said of Butler. “Maybe some guys are in more natural roles. I think that is probably the thing I noticed the most.

“He is a competitor. He has started all these games for a reason. He helps them play their best version of basketball on both ends of the court.”

Kentucky plays its best with Butler on the floor because he inspires them to give it everything he’s got every minute he’s out there. He brings the best out of his teammates.

“I think it’s very contagious,” Brea said of Butler’s intensity. “You talk about a guy that goes out there and puts it all on the floor. As a player, it’s like, damn, I gotta do the same. If not, I’m not stepping up for the team.

“Seeing him come back from injury and show up the way he did today, it’s incredible. I feel like we needed that.”

For a team that seemed to be falling apart, Kentucky found its glue to hold everything back together.

“It feels like we’re back to normal a little bit,” Brea continued. “It’s always good to have Lamont out there. He’s our captain.”