LEXINGTON, Ky. (KT) — It’s not known if PJ Washington will make a return to the lineup when Kentucky takes on Houston in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen Friday night.
Washington was seen with a walking boot as the team departed for Kansas City Wednesday afternoon. Washington wore a cast during the opening two rounds of the Big Dance last weekend in Jacksonville. He sent out a tweet earlier in the day walking without a boot or a cast.
If Washington, Kentucky’s leading scorer and rebounder, is unable to go during the second leg of the tournament, the Wildcats will be down to eight players. Kentucky lacked its usual offensive punch in the post without Washington but used a solid defensive effort to defeat Abilene Christian and Wofford during the first two rounds of the tournament.
“Any time you’re trying to play eight guys it’s really dangerous,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “Anything that happens, you’re down to seven. Another thing happens, you’re down to six. What if the six are not the right six? So it’s really dangerous what we’re doing and it could come back to bite us, but guess what, we have no choice. I tried to trade for some guys but we just couldn’t get anybody, so this is who we have.”
For the first time in the postseason, the Wildcats will face a late tipoff against the Cougars. The contest is slated to begin at approximately 10 p.m. at the Spring Center in Kansas City, Mo. Calipari isn’t concerned about the unusual start time for his squad. In the opener, top seed North Carolina will take on Auburn at 7:10 pm.
“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “I think as I get older, I could care less. My give-a meter is I just don’t care. We go on and do what we do. The crazy thing it’s never really had an effect on me, on my programs. It just hasn’t. And maybe they’ve figured out, “Eh, forget about him, we’re not hurting him, let’s go hurt somebody else.”
BACK TO FORM
Since his return from a sprained knee injury, Reid Travis has scored double figures in three of the past four games, including 18 in a win over Abilene Christian. He scored 14 and grabbed 11 rebounds in a win over Wofford.
Calipari said Travis, a fifth-year senior, has been a pleasure to coach this season.
“He is truly professional in how he deals with everything, from training to weight training to keeping his body right to being where he’s supposed to on time,” the Kentucky coach said. “People that have come in my gym and watched us coach said that kid never takes his eyes off you. He is totally engaged with what you’re saying. And I get on him, now. Like I’m on him like I am these young kids. I just don’t have to as much because it is never effort. Theirs is always effort. His is never effort. It’s like some other things he may do, and basically it reverts back some.
“But it’s been — I’ve loved it, and I would say that what’s — he’s helped us, but he’s helped himself in this. He’s really put himself in a great position.”
POST PRESENCE
Travis, along with teammates EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards will be counted on to carry the load in the post, especially of Washington misses his third straight contest. Calipari also has been pleased with Richards’ play during the postseason.
“Every player you have, you know how hard they’re working,” Calipari said. “You know what a good person they are, so you want them to do well, but you can’t do it for them, and you can wish all you want, but at the end of the day, they’ve got to go in and perform. I can’t build their confidence. They have to build their own confidence.”
Gametracker: Kentucky vs. Houston, 10 p.m., Friday. TV/Radio: TBS, UK Radio Network.
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com or twitter @keithtaylor21.
