The Kentucky Wildcats have been through a lot this season. The injury bug stung them in the worst possible way, and theyāve had several key contributors on the shelf.
Kerr Kriisa has been out since early December with a foot injury. Andrew Carr has struggled with back injuries, and Lamont Butler sustained a shoulder injury. On top of that, Jaxson Robinson has also been out with a wrist injury.
The team has only played seven games at full strength this season, and theyāre currently playing without their two starting guards. Even so, coach Mark Pope has loved the way the rest of the team has responded, especially in the win over Vanderbilt.
Mark Pope raves about his ānewā team amid string of injuries
āI think (the win) should give our guys a lot of confidence,ā the coach said. āIām happy for our guys that they get this little injection of energy, positive energy. ā¦Weāve got a brand-new team. Game one. We played well but we didnāt finish the way we wanted to. Game two we played really well. Now weāve got the epic challenge of all challenges going to Alabama and seeing if we can deal with that insanity down there and itās going to be fun and itās fun to grow this group.ā
Jaxson Robinson #2 of the Kentucky Wildcats
Needless to say, he would still most definitely rather have his team at full strength. He has a very talented team, and no coach wants to see his players get hurt.
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Nevertheless, some teams find a sense of resiliency in adversity. This isnāt ideal, and it wasnāt a part of the equation, but it might be bringing the best out of his players.
