We reported yesterday that Jayden Quaintance would more than likely not come back this season because of knee swelling. The sophomore has tried different injections, he has tried resting it, and he has tried icing it. But the risk for injury is just too great to risk his future. Some fans are upset with that, and I get it. But he is doing the right thing for his body. If Mark Pope had his way, though, and he could wave a magic wand and get either Jaland Lowe or Jayden Quaintance healthy, the big man would be back tomorrow.
Jayden Quaintance does things no one else can do
Denzel Aberdeen is not a point guard, but he plays it closer than what Brandon Garrison does to being a center. So you take Aberdeen, and you bring JQ back to patrol the paint. BG is just not physical enough, and his effort can be really questionable at times. You just can't depend on him from night to night.
Santa Clara is a terror on the boards offensively. They don't rebound defensively nearly as well, but that has more to do with how they play. They pressure and force shots, and sometimes they give up easy ones. So there are fewer rebounds to go around. But having JQ down there would greatly reduce the ability of Santa Clara to get on the offensive glass, where Kentucky has been punished by both Tennessee and Florida.
Malachi Moreno will be huge today, Brandon Garrison has to be more like the player who finished with 17 and 5 against Missouri, and less like the player who had 0 and 1 against Florida.
Kentucky basketball injury update
Jaland Lowe is not coming back, and Quaintance doesn't sound like he is either. But Kam Williams is back, and Kentucky must make the best of a bad situation.