Big Blue Nation has been holding its collective breath for weeks, anxiously awaiting injury updates. With Jayden Quaintance still a ways away, Denzel Aberdeen just returning, and Jaland Lowe ruled out for tonight's season opener, the last thing Kentucky needed was another player to go down.
Then, in the first half against Nicholls State, the entire arena fell silent.
A scare and a massive sigh of relief
While driving through the paint, sophomore Trent Noah got tangled up with a Nicholls State defender who fell to the floor. The defender's leg caught Noah's ankle, bending it at an "unfortunate angle" that had fans fearing the worst. Noah stayed down and was eventually helped off the court, unable to put weight on his leg in a horrifying sight given the team's injury woes in this young season so far.
Before his exit, Noah was 0-for-2 from three-point range with 2 rebounds. But he brings so much energy and communication that he is needed on the court.
The minds of Kentucky fans immediately flashed to last season's injury-riddled roster, which saw multiple players hobbled by the time March arrived. The thought of losing another key rotation player, especially one of the few with experience in Pope's system, was devastating.
But in a rare bit of good news on the injury front, the scare appears to be short-lived. After halftime, Noah returned to the court with his teammates, testing the ankle in warmups and looking ready to check back in. He went back to the locker room and eventually came back out to the bench in the early second half.
While any ankle sprain can be tricky, his quick return suggests Kentucky averted a major disaster, allowing BBN to finally let out a massive sigh of relief.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion