The Wildcats had Lamont Butler back for the first time in two weeks.
Despite both being a game-time decision, Kentucky basketball had Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler in the starting lineup on Saturday in their 80-57 win over South Carolina.
Butler’s return to action was a blessing for his team, as it not only improved the Wildcats’ ball movement and penetration in the paint but also helped get his team’s defense back on track.
Kentucky wound up pulling away late in the first half and cruised to the finish line in the second half, but that was all after what was a miserable start to the game.
The Wildcats missed nine of their first 10 shot attempts in the first five or so minutes of action, which was not the initial start UK probably expected against a South Carolina team winless in SEC play but was 10-3 in the non-conference season with a win over Clemson, who now has wins over Duke and Kentucky.
Things began to click after the under-16 timeout, as Kentucky made seven of their next nine shot attempts to fuel an 11-0 run, and they never looked back.
For the Wildcats, it was the first time in two weeks they had (minus Kerr Kriisa) a “healthy” roster.
So, aside from getting the win, what did their starting backcourt look like?
Butler went scoreless in 12 first-half minutes but quickly found the bottom of the net one minute into the second half and finished the game with eight points on 2/5 shooting in 23 total minutes played.
After missing Kentucky’s last few games, Butler did have a bit of rust on Saturday, but his presence on the floor had to be reassuring for UK fans and his teammates.
“Oh, it was huge,” said Otega Oweh of Butler’s return. “Like, just his presence helps us out so much, offensively, defensively. I mean, I’ve asked him every single day since he’s been out if he was playing, so I’m just glad he got to suit up today.”
Robinson also struggled in the first half by making just one of seven shot attempts for three points in 13 minutes during the period.
He quickly made his second three early in the second half but appeared to re-injure his wrist and went straight to the bench.
Robinson re-entered the game a few minutes later but did not attempt another shot and finished with six points on 2/8 shooting in 20 total minutes played.
After the game, head coach Mark Pope discussed Butler and Robinson playing through their respective injuries. Pope even admitted that he didn’t know if either would play, which led to a sleepless night heading into Saturday’s game.
“You know, I woke up at 3 o’clock in the morning after sleeping for two hours and couldn’t go back to sleep because I really genuinely didn’t know if I was going to walk into the gym and have no Lamont, and no Jaxson, and no Kerr. Right? You know, that would have been a really beautiful challenge for us. This game is really important to us,” said Pope.
“One because it’s a win. And two, it got those guys on the floor, they got through the game, and they are still alive, and every day we can get them to where they, you know, be a little healthier is a bonus. That’s probably one of the best parts of the game, but the fact we can do it with a win is really, really important to us.”
Pope revealed that Butler went two weeks without so much as dribbling a ball due to his shoulder injury.
“The fact that Lamont can get on the floor. I might have teased Lamont about the first lay-up at the rim. Did you guys remember that? It was really shaky, but that’s what happens when you haven’t dribbled the ball for two weeks,” said Pope. “He was terrific. He got better and better. You know, having him a couple of game reps, we know how potent he is, and he’s going to learn how to do it a different way. He’s wearing a brace that is like a tank on his shoulder, but it’s really nice to have him back. It was important for a whole bunch of reasons.”
As for Robinson, he popped up on the injury report after injuring his wrist during a collision in practice but was able to play Saturday. He got extensive run at point guard when Butler was out, which has given Pope confidence that the former BYU wing can effectively run the offense when needed.
“Certainly, we have a real comfort level with Jaxson at the point now that we didn’t have before because he’s been there 40 minutes a game for the last four games, right? That helps us and gives us a little bit more leeway in kind of how we work the rotation,” said Pope. “I would just like to get those two guys healthy. It’s nice to have them on the floor, that’s step one, can we get them on the floor healthy would be beautiful.
Having both guards healthy for the remainder of the season is obviously key. Either can get their own shot off of the dribble, and Butler’s expertise on defense appeared to energize Robinson’s defensive efforts on Saturday.
Brandon Garrison (15 points) and Otega Oweh (game-high 17) shouldered the weight of the offense in the win. They were joined by Amari Williams and Koby Brea (10 each) in double-figure scoring. Williams had a monstrous+/- of +32.
Kentucky has a somewhat favorable schedule over the next few weeks with only four of their remaining eight SEC games being against opponents currently ranked in the top 25. That might be as close to ‘favorable’ as you can get in this league.
The Wildcats will begin the final stretch of their season with a home matchup against the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday, with tip-off scheduled for 7 PM ET on ESPN.