The Kentucky basketball team will be shorthanded once again tonight when they meet the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville. As reported by Jack Pilgrim of KSR, the Wildcats are expected to be without two starters. The report stated that Dj Wagner and Tre Mitchell are expected to miss a game in which the Wildcats are desperate for a victory.
NEW: Kentucky is expected to be without DJ Wagner (ankle) and Tre Mitchell (back) at Vanderbilt, sources tell KSRhttps://t.co/akmWN9YRkM
— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) February 6, 2024
Wagner missed both games last week with an ankle injury. It's a week that everyone in the Big Blue Nation would love to forget. The Wildcats dropped to home games against hated rivals, Flordia and Tennessee. Kentucky is 0-3 in games where Wagner hasn't played, the third game being the crushing loss to UNC Wilmington from earlier this season. Wagner has proven to be a vital piece to this team, and without him, the Cats have proven to regress.
Mitchell is a new name added to the long list of injuries suffered by numerous Wildcats on the season. After the loss to Tennessee on Saturday, Kentucky coach John Calipari made waves with the news that Mitchell had been dealing with a back injury. Mitchell has been relatively quiet in the last few games, causing many to be concerned. Now, it seems like this injury could be a significant factor.
Once again, Kentucky will be without vital pieces to the team. However, there's still enough talent on this team for them to beat a Vanderbilt team that only has one victory in SEC play. However, the Cats will need guys to step up tonight who haven't been able to string together consecutive good performances. Who is going to help lead the Cats back to the win column?