MAJOR BREAKING: Injury Crisis Hits Kentucky As Key Player Reinjures Shoulder In SEC Opener

There has been no definitive update on Lamont Butler’s condition after the Kentucky point guard re-injured his left shoulder during the Wildcats’ victory over Oklahoma on Thursday night. However, the post-game comments didn’t suggest a promising outlook. Otega Oweh’s buzzer-beating shot lifted Kentucky to an 85-84 win over the Sooners in their SEC Tournament opener, but the focus quickly shifted to Butler and his future with the team.

“I’m really proud of our guys, because your heart is just breaking for Lamont,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said after the game. “We already have Jaxson Robinson sitting out. Now Lamont misses the chance to be part of this. It’s devastating. It’s like a gut punch.”

Robinson has already been ruled out for the season due to a wrist injury, and Butler’s situation could potentially keep him sidelined as well. Pope couldn’t provide a clear timeline for Butler’s return, stating, “We’ll put it together piece by piece. I’m praying like crazy that he can find his way back on the floor at some point this year. It just doesn’t seem fair, and this is not a fair game, but I would love so badly for him to step on the court again.”

The immediate concern is that Butler might be unable to return this season, possibly ending his college basketball career just a week before what was meant to be his final NCAA Tournament run. Butler, who serves as Kentucky’s starting point guard and has been described as the “heart and soul” of the team, reinjured his shoulder while driving to the basket during the first half of Kentucky’s win.

He originally hurt the shoulder in a win against Texas A&M on January 14, missing six games since then. After exiting Thursday’s game with 9:35 remaining in the first half, Butler went to the locker room for X-rays. Initially, the team listed him as questionable to return but later ruled him out for the remainder of the game.

“We’ll know more, probably by tomorrow,” Pope said late into the night, following a game that ended after 1 a.m. EDT. Kentucky is set to face Alabama, the 3-seed in the SEC Tournament, in the quarterfinals on Friday at around 9:30 p.m. EDT. The general feeling in the UK locker room suggests that Butler’s injury may be serious.

“It’s a heartbreaker to lose him again,” said freshman guard Collin Chandler. “… We’re just all trying to piece together a little bit to fill that gap. But we’re ready to step up.” Chandler himself left the game in the first half after taking a hit but returned after receiving stitches and started the second half in place of Butler. Chandler also referred to Butler as the team’s “heart and soul,” calling him “LeMarch,” a nickname reflecting Butler’s past heroics, including a buzzer-beater in the Final Four two seasons ago that helped San Diego State reach the national championship game.

Butler was expected to play a significant role in Kentucky’s potential NCAA Tournament run. Before their win over Oklahoma, Kentucky was projected as a 3-seed in March Madness, and playing without Butler could significantly impact the Wildcats’ chances. “It’s pretty devastating,” Chandler said. “But I think he can still have an impact by talking to us every chance he gets. Timeouts and everything. He’s still going to be helpful. Lamont is a leader on this team. So we’ll still need him every bit of the way.”

Kerr Kriisa, who was supposed to be Butler’s backup, has already been ruled out for the season with a foot injury. If Butler joins Kriisa and Robinson on the sidelines, Chandler may start at point guard, with freshman Travis Perry potentially backing him up. More ball-handling duties would likely fall to 7-foot center Amari Williams, and veteran guards Oweh and Koby Brea, who combined for 49 points in the win over Oklahoma.

Asked if he might shut Butler down for the rest of the SEC Tournament in hopes of having him healthy for the NCAA Tournament, Coach Pope acknowledged the importance of the SEC Tournament and the emotional pull of playing in front of Kentucky’s fanbase at Bridgestone Arena. “I’m not going to put him in harm’s way, for sure,” Pope said. “It’s hard because this matters. It’s hard to explain.

When you walk into this arena and see all these Kentucky fans, who probably never get to watch a game at Rupp Arena, it pulls us. We want to take care of them, we want to perform for them, and we want this to be great for them. But we’re also thinking about the NCAA Tournament, and so we’ll figure it out the best we can. We’ll make the best decisions for Lamont that we can.”