A big SEC tournament win overshadowed by the uncertainty of Butler’s status.
The Big Blue Nation was out in full force in Nashville on Thursday night, turning Bridgestone Arena into Rupp Arena South.
Unfortunately, those in attendance and the entire Big Blue Nation watching at home witnessed Kentucky Wildcats star Lamont Butler exit the game in the middle of the first half after aggravating his left shoulder once again.
The veteran point guard had two points and three assists before leaving the game in pain and heading to the locker room shortly after.
At halftime, Mark Pope was asked about Butler’s injury and how it will impact the game plan moving forward.
“We’ve dealt with this all season long. I got a resilient group. These guys are gonna come fight and will get the job done.” Pope said right after mentioning Butler was in the locker room having imaging done on his left shoulder.
After the game, Pope gave a brief update on Butler.
“We did some imaging at halftime and some manual testing, and we’ll know more probably by tomorrow,” he said. “We’ll know tomorrow.”
So for now, it’s unclear if Butler will be able to return before the season is over.
There’s no way around it: Without Lamont Butler in the fold, Kentucky’s chances of making a run in the SEC and NCAA tournaments are tremendously decreased.
Hopefully, the imaging will show no signs of major concern, and with some treatment, he can return before it’s all said and done.
If Butler is out, they’ll need extra contributions from the freshman trio. Trent Noah, Travis Perry, and Collin Chandler will have to continue to step up if Kentucky is to have any hopes of advancing in the Big Dance.
At this point, Mark Pope is used to calling plays and strategizing without the availability of Butler, so there shouldn’t be any panic.
There will be zero time for sulking because the Cats take on one of the best teams in America tomorrow night when they meet the #5 Alabama Crimson Tide in the quarterfinals.
Let’s hope we’ve not seen the last of Butler.