Kentucky finally knows exactly what it has in terms of the rotation after injuries destroyed the Wildcats going into SEC play, several weeks now with continuity and no surprises following Jaland Lowe‘s season-ending shoulder surgery, Kam Williams‘ broken foot and Jayden Quaintance‘s “full shutdown,” as Mark Pope put it.
That didn’t change on Monday when the SEC Availability Report was released ahead of the team’s home matchup vs. Georgia on Tuesday. Lowe, Williams and Quaintance have been declared out, as expected, with no other additions of note.
As for the Bulldogs, things are looking up, too — and they needed it, traveling to Lexington as 8.5-point underdogs after losing five of six, including back-to-back double-digit defeats. News that will help Mike White‘s fight to right the ship inside Rupp Arena? He’ll have his leading scorer back against the Wildcats, as Jeremiah Wilkinson has been taken off the injury report ahead of Tuesday’s late-night battle.
It’s a clean bill of health nearly 24 hours away from the opening tip.
Wilkinson missed Georgia’s 86-66 loss to Florida in Athens, then missed the 94-78 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday. On the year, he’s averaging 17.1 points per game on 42/34/78 shooting splits while adding 2.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals. He’s got eight 20-point performances and two 30-point explosions in 23 outings.
His absence has been felt in the scoring department with the Bulldogs averaging just 73 points per game in their two losses without Wilkinson compared to 82.7 in SEC play with him. KenPom projects an 85-78 win for Kentucky while giving the Wildcats a 72 percent chance to send the visitors back home with a loss.
UGA sits at 17-8 on the year and 5-6 in the league, trending in the wrong direction with postseason action quickly approaching. The Bulldogs are desperate for a win, and now, they’ll have their leading scorer back to help.
It’s on Kentucky to crush Georgia’s spirit on Tuesday — no matter who is on the floor.
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