Tre Mitchell does not practice ahead of LSU, "but he's getting better"

Kentucky played at full strength for the first time this season in last week’s home win vs. Ole Miss — 21 whole minutes of a complete roster. And then as Tre Mitchell returned from a back issue, he suffered a shoulder injury that took him right back off the floor.

Two-game absence, one game back, then another missed game in the team’s win at Auburn. Will Mitchell be back in time for Wednesday’s matchup at LSU? It’s not looking good, unfortunately, though it wasn’t all bad news.

The fifth-year senior was not a participant in practice Monday and is only back to some running at this point with no real contact work. That doesn’t sound like someone ready to play in Baton Rouge just 36 hours from now. On the flip side, though, he is making real progress and his return doesn’t appear to be too far away.

“He did not practice today,” Calipari said of Mitchell. “I think he ran a couple of times, but wasn’t on the court. But he’s getting better.”

Mitchell suffered a sprained trapezius on a hit in the second half against the Rebels, sources tell KSR. He avoided any long-term tear or dislocation, but it’s still a painful and awkward injury that makes for a tricky recovery in the short term.

Progress is progress, though, and he’s clearly in good spirits as he works his way back.

I love Tre Mitchell man haha #BBN pic.twitter.com/oVpxopxQO4

— Buddy 🏀😼 (@BigBlueBud) February 17, 2024

In the meantime, things are going well for the Cats both publicly and behind the scenes. They’re on a two-game winning streak and playing high-level basketball. And they followed up their best performance of the season at Auburn with one of their best practices of the season.

“Today was a great practice. Like, wow. I even cut it short, they were so good,” Calipari said Monday evening. “We’ll have one (Tuesday) and then we travel and play at LSU. They’re playing really good, this is gonna be a hard game.”

Even harder if Mitchell can’t give it a go, but at least we know he’s trending in the right direction.