Lamont Butler could not play due to an ankle injury in the Gonzaga game and his status going forward remains uncertain. There is optimism that he will be back by Kentucky's next game against Colgate on Wednesday, December 11th, but it's still unknown. Here's what we do know:
He was almost ready for Gonzaga.
It went right up until game time before they decided to pull the plug and make him sit out the game. He was testing his injured ankle in shootaround, but ultimately, it was decided he wouldn't be explosive enough to make it happen, and the risk of re-injury was too high. Mark Pope would rather have him long-term than for one game. This positive development means he was close but couldn't quite get there.
Mark Pope Comments After the Game
""He came to shoot around today and we kind of just tried to push it a little bit but it just wasn't working. I do think Lamont is making good progress." "Mark Pope
Desperately Needed
There's real concern over Kerr Kriisa's injury during the Gonzaga game. He suffered from a non-contact injury, making his injury even more alarming. Pope had very positive comments about Kriisa's injury after the game: "He's tough as nails; it will be tough to keep him out of the game." He also said they need to get imaging done on his foot/ankle when returning to Lexington.
If neither Kriisa nor Butler can go against Colgate, Pope may decide to let Jaxson Robinson run the point again like he did at the end of the Gonzaga game. There is also the option of running the true freshman point guard Travis Perry out. Since it is another buy game, it may be a good opportunity for Perry to log some meaningful minutes against a competition that won't absolutely expose his youth.