Kentucky Wildcats injury report: HC Mark Pope shares thrilling news for fans as two starters return to practice

Kentucky coach Mark Pope provided encouraging news for Wildcats fans on two injured starters during his radio call-in show on Monday evening He said that Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson have returned to practice after missing weeks with injuries.

“Lamont and Jaxson were both in practice — they had modified practice, which is a good thing,” he said.

However, Pope expressed caution, noting that both players must still be observed before they return to action.

“With both of them, we’re going to know so much more in the morning, because it’s just, ‘How’s Jaxson’s wrist responding? How is Lamont’s shoulder responding?' Certainly, they’re both on the uptick,” Pope said.

NCAA Basketball: Tennessee at Kentucky, Lamont Butler of Kentucky - Source: Imagn

Robinson has been sidelined since Feb. 8 during Kentucky’s win over South Carolina, while Butler has been out since Feb. 11 when the Wildcats won against Tennessee.

Pope will hope to have Butler and Robinson back to help Wildcats in postseason

No. 17 Kentucky (18-9, 7-7 Southeastern Conference) has struggled on both offense and defense without Lamar Butler and Jaxson Robinson, who have been key contributors this season.

Robinson is ranked second on the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game. He has also contributed 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in 23 appearances.

NCAA Basketball: South Carolina at Kentucky. Jaxson Robinson of Kentucky - Source: Imagn

Butler has also been one of Kentucky’s best performers, having played 19 games. The guard has averaged 12.5 ppg to rank third in the team, he also has 4.6 apg and 2.8 rpg while shooting a career-best 50.9%, including 38.5% from 3-point range.

Their return could be crucial for the Wildcats as they aim to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

However, before that, Kentucky has four more games to play in the regular season. Its next game is at Oklahoma (17-10, 4-10) on Wednesday.