Calipari says TyTy Washington, Sahvir Wheeler may not play vs. Arkansas

For the second game in a row, Kentucky was able to overcome a double-digit deficit to win without its starting backcourt; how much longer can they keep it up? The Cats had only three assists to 12 turnovers in the 71-66 victory over LSU, with Davion Mintz playing 38 minutes and Kellan Grady 40. Afterward, John Calipari said the team could be without TyTy Washington (leg) and Sahvir Wheeler (wrist) in Saturday’s monster showdown at Arkansas.

“We get the other guys back, we’ll see how that works. At what point they come back? They may not be ready in two days. We may have the same team going down to Arkansas.”

Washington suffered a lower leg injury vs. Florida on Feb. 12, while Wheeler hurt his wrist at the end of the Tennessee game on Feb. 15. Neither played Saturday vs. Alabama and are still considered day-to-day. Over the past few weeks, Calipari has stressed the importance of having a healthy team heading into March, even if it means taking a few losses because guys have to sit out. So far, Kentucky has weathered the storm without its primary ballhandlers — a very good sign — but the stakes are about to get higher. On Saturday, the Cats travel to Arkansas to play a surging Razorbacks squad in a building that’s already been home to one major upset this season. Given how Kentucky struggled against the press tonight, the blueprint is there. Sure would be nice to have those two back.