Pope Updates Status Of Butler, Robinson

Lamont Butler, center, has only been able to sit and watch UK play the last three games. (Vicky Graff Photo)

By LARRY VAUGHT

He was not ready to say when guards Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson might be able to play again, but Kentucky coach Mark Pope continued with optimistic updates about his two injured starters during Monday night’s radio show.

“Lamont and Jaxson were both in practice (Monday) — they had modified practice, which is a good thing,” said the Kentucky coach. “Kind of every day right now, it’s just — we know something from today about how much of the practice they were able to get through.

“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?’”

Kentucky plays at Oklahoma Wednesday night at 9 in a game it needs to win to avoid having to play the opening day of the SEC Tournament and also try to protect a high NCAA Tournament seeding.

Butler has been out with a shoulder injury while Robinson is out with a right wrist injury.

“It’s about how they respond the next day and they were pretty functional in the limited work that they did today,” Pope said Monday night. “Certainly, they’re both on the uptick.

“We’re hopeful about both of them. I don’t know if either of them is going to be able to get to 100 percent health before the end of the season, but they’re making progress, so we’re hopeful.”

Probably not many SEC basketball players are going to be 100 percent healthy when the season ends because of the physical play in the league this year. But even at less than 100 percent, both could help Pope’s team a lot.

Robinson has not played since Kentucky’s win over South Carolina on Feb. 8. Butler has not played since hurting his shoulder again midway through the win over Tennessee on Feb. 11.

Kentucky is 7-7 in SEC play and will host No. 1 Auburn on Saturday before facing LSU and Missouri next week.

The Cats remained 17th in this week’s Associated Press poll after beating Vanderbilt and losing at Alabama last week. Kentucky dropped two spots to No. 23 in the coaches poll.

The SEC has four of the nation’s top six teams in the AP poll with Auburn No. 1, Florida No. 3, Tennessee No. 5 and Alabama No. 6.