The Kentucky Wildcats have been through a lot this season. The injury bug stung them in the worst possible way, and they’ve 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 they’re 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 ‘new’ team amid string of injuries
“I think (the win) should give our guys a lot of confidence,” the coach said. “I’m happy for our guys that they get this little injection of energy, positive energy. …We’ve got a brand-new team. Game one. We played well but we didn’t finish the way we wanted to. Game two we played really well. Now we’ve got the epic challenge of all challenges going to Alabama and seeing if we can deal with that insanity down there and it’s going to be fun and it’s fun to grow this group.”
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 isn’t ideal, and it wasn’t a part of the equation, but it might be bringing the best out of his players.
