There are no bye weeks in college basketball once conference play begins, but the Kentucky Wildcats will get a mini-bye after this weekend’s game vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide.
That’s because the Cats won’t play again until the following Saturday at Vanderbilt, giving them a few extra days of rest in between games.
It’s something Kentucky badly needs right now with several players dealing with various bumps and bruises, namely senior forward Andrew Carr.
For several weeks, Carr has been battling a back injury that is now costing him precious practice time. Thankfully, it’s not cost him a game yet, and it doesn’t sound like he’s in real danger of missing Saturday’s date with Bama.
During his Thursday press conference to preview Cats vs. Tide, head coach Mark Pope gave an update on how the team is managing Carr’s injury, which should be aided by the extra time off next week.
“Next week, we have a full week off. We’re kind of scratching and clawing to stay alive right now,” said Pope. “Then, we’ll be able to put three days together next week where, hopefully, we can make some progress.
“Right now, he’s (Carr) kind of on no practice (plan), and I just hope we can tape him together for the game. That’s kind of how we’ve been rolling the last two weeks. He’s been fighting and battling and being really effective in the games. He’s dying to play. We’ll piece it together.”
In 17 games this season (all starts), Carr is averaging 11.4 points (54.8% shooting and 29% from deep), 5.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. In four January games, he’s averaged 11.5 points (53.1% shooting and 27.2% from deep), 4.8 boards, and 1.8 assists per game, so his numbers haven’t really dropped off as a result of the injury.
While it’s not ideal to have a lingering back issue, whatever Kentucky and its training staff are doing is working well enough for him to play effectively in games vs. top competition. The hope is that continues Saturday against an Alabama team that’s one of the 2-3 best teams Kentucky will host at Rupp Arena this season. then get some much-needed extra rest the following week.
