TyTy Washington went down with a second-half leg injury that coach John Calipari says could cause him to miss some upcoming games. (Vicky Graff Photo)
One play that was no one’s fault shows just how quickly Kentucky could go from perhaps national championship favorite to national championship hopeful. Freshman point guard TyTy Washington has been bothered at times this season by leg cramps and then an ankle injury. Still, he’s been so good with his overall play because he can do so many things to help a team win.
His 3-point shooting has not been brilliant lately, but he did make two 3-pointers against Florida in Saturday’s 78-57 win before Rupp Arena went silent.
Midway through the second half, Washington had a Florida player who dove for a loose ball and ended up landing on his knee. Kentucky fans were not happy no foul was called. Tee Washington, TyTy’s father, posted on Twitter that it was not a “dirty play.”
Washington got up quickly but hopped off the floor and headed straight to the dressing room. A fan at the game — Wynn McDonald — sitting in the upper deck tweeted that “he ran right to the door of the tunnel (leaving the arena) and fell.”
Washington did not return to the court and UK only said he was being evaluated for a lower leg injury during the game.
He finished the game with 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting, six assists, five rebounds and one steal.
Remember earlier in the week Kentucky coach John Calipari announced that Shaedon Sharpe definitely would not play this year.
Could Washington’s injury change that thinking by Calipari?
“I don’t think it does. That decision has been made,” ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes said during the game.
Then Dykes added this: “But everything is up for change.”
However, Calipari did not seem overly worried after the game. He said it was his left lower leg but that they were joking with each other when he talked to him after the game. It helped that an X-ray apparently showed no significant damage.
“Whether he will play will be day to day,” the UK coach said. “Now he still might be out a week or two, who knows? Could be a muscle, it could be something that separated because he he got hit hard.”
Kentucky went ahead and put Florida away after Washington got hurt. The Cats could not win at LSU and Auburn when Washington and point guard Sahvir Wheeler both had injury issues.
“If it was one more guy like it was at LSU and at Auburn, that makes it way harder,” Calipari said. “We need those guys.”
