Expectations are high for what should be a fast-paced, free-flowing college basketball matchup Saturday afternoon in Rupp Arena. Points, and plenty of them, should be on offer when Mark Pope’s No. 8-ranked Kentucky team (14-3 overall and 3-1 in SEC play) plays Nate Oats’ No. 4 Alabama squad (14-3, 3-1) at noon in Lexington. But in the buildup to what could be a classic SEC battle, both the Wildcats and Crimson Tide have some injury concerns. A clearer picture of which players will, and won’t, play in Saturday’s game arrived Friday night with the initial release of the SEC pregame injury report.
Andrew Carr and Lamont Butler are listed on the UK injury report. The presence of both fifth-year forward Andrew Carr and guard Lamont Butler is the main storyline of Kentucky’s injury report.
Butler, who missed two games in December due to a right ankle injury during the second half of the UK’s loss at Clemson in the SEC/ACC Challenge, is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Alabama. The “questionable” designation signifies that Butler has a 50% chance of playing in the game. Butler—a 6-foot-2 guard—is averaging 13.4 points and 4.7 assists per game for the Wildcats this season. Butler has had a combined 15 assists over the UK’s last two games.