One of the strangest subplots of the last week has been the status of sophomore Trent Noah.
His timeline has been a complete mystery. He went from starting the season opener to suffering an ankle injury in the first half against Nicholls State. Mark Pope then joked Noah was a "liar" for hiding the pain. After the game, Noah was seen in a walking boot.
Then, before the Valparaiso game, Pope told reporters Noah had "practiced fully" and was "good to go," but he ultimately held him out. Deciding to give him an extra days rest, I mean that makes sense with the Cards coming up.
But against Louisville, in a high-stakes rivalry game where Kentucky was getting blown out by 20 points and desperately needed shooting and spacing, Noah never took off his warmups. He registered a "DNP - Coach's Decision."
After the game, Pope was asked directly if Noah was available to play. His answer?
“He was available. Yeah.” Very descriptive, huh.
Why was Kentucky's starter benched?
That 4-word confirmation makes the mystery even more baffling. If Noah was healthy, why did he not play a single minute in a game where the team was collapsing?
Pope was clearly hunting for answers, playing what he called "interesting new vibe lineups" in the second half. Kam Williams, who had been struggling, got 12 minutes and provided a spark. Andrija Jelavic got 10. But Noah, the supposed starter and one of the team's best shooters, was glued to the bench.
This strongly suggests Noah's DNP was not injury-related, but performance-related. It's a shocking development for a player who was trusted to start Game 1 and both exhibition games.
How does a player go from being in the starting lineup to being completely out of the rotation in a must-win game in just two weeks? It's a question Pope will have to answer, because the silence around Noah's status is becoming one of the strangest stories of the early season.
Maybe he sees time tonight against Eastern Illinois.
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