Sahvir Wheeler "out for a bit" following minor procedure, missing Senior Night

Sahvir Wheeler will not only miss Kentucky‘s final home game vs. Vanderbilt, but he’s now expected to be “out for a bit” after undergoing a minor procedure unrelated to his ankle injury.

John Calipari announced the veteran point guard’s procedure was this morning and would miss tonight’s Senior Night festivities, beyond any upcoming on-court participation.

“Sahvir had a minor procedure unrelated to his ankle injury this morning and will be out for a bit,” Calipari said. “Because he’s recovering today, he will not be part of tonight’s Senior Day ceremony. I hate that Sahvir won’t be able to hear #BBN show him how much we all love him on Senior Day tonight. Looking forward to getting him back on the court with us soon!”

Wheeler has missed six straight games with an ankle injury, seven including tonight. He is averaging 7.7 points, 5.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds per contest as a senior in 2022-23.

Calipari said Monday that the 5-foot-9 point guard had “really worked hard to get back at it” and the injury was “killing him.”

“We’re anxious for him to get back, but he’s got to be healthy,” he added.

The remainder of the Kentucky head coach’s message was much more reflective, discussing the impact Wheeler has made since arriving in Lexington, not necessarily the one he’s expected to make in Nashville and the NCAA Tournament.

“What he did a year ago, I remember we beat North Carolina. The way he played and what he did in that game — you can’t judge him on one game either way, that game or whatever. But you’re talking about a guy that came in here and impacted the program, defensively impacted the program. … He’s been a very big part of what we’ve done the last couple of years.

“The last game we played at Vanderbilt, the game changed when I put him in. And the last time we played Florida, the game changed when we put him in. Having him with Cason — they’re different kinds of guards. It’s almost like throwing a changeup (in baseball), it makes us way better.”

At the time, he essentially confirmed Wheeler would miss the matchup vs. Vanderbilt, noting that Brennan Canada would be in the starting lineup as one of five available seniors playing in the game.

“If we had six guys it would be hard,” Calipari said. “So the five guys, (Canada) will start.”

That’s now been made official, with Wheeler’s future as a Kentucky Wildcat now very clearly up in the air.

Take advantage of our KSR+ Launch Special and join the conversation on KSBoard, the KSR+ Message Board.