Kentucky point guard Sahvir Wheeler injured early in game against LSU
Kentucky point guard Sahvir Wheeler was injured early in the Wildcats’ game at Louisiana State on Tuesday night.
Wheeler, who leads the Southeastern Conference in assists, ran into a screen by LSU center Efton Reid near halfcourt with 16:07 left in the first half. The junior guard stayed on the court for several minutes before being helped off the floor by a Kentucky trainer. He went straight to the UK locker room, and ESPN commentators speculated about a possible concussion as Wheeler winced and looked unsteady on his feet.
UK announced later in the first half that Wheeler was “questionable” to return to the game. He was not in the bench area at the beginning of the second half and did not play again after suffering the early injury. Coach John Calipari said immediately after the game that he did not have an update on Wheeler’s status.
LSU defeated UK, 65-60, in the Wildcats’ first SEC road game of the season.
“He’s our point guard. He’s the engine to our car, if you will,” veteran guard Kellan Grady said of Wheeler after the game. “He’s the guy that’s able to orchestrate our offense and really kind of control the game and get us out in transition. So, it’s obviously a pretty serious adjustment on the road, in an atmosphere like this, when he plays 3 minutes and 53 seconds, and we have to adjust on the fly.
“But, like I said, you can’t question our resolve and our fight.”
The Cats finished the night without both of their top point guards, but they still managed to make it a one-possession game in the final minute before LSU ultimately won by five points.
Freshman TyTy Washington handled point guard duties in Wheeler’s absence, playing the entire game up until the 9:17 mark of the second half, when he had to be helped from the court and appeared to be treated for leg cramps on the sideline before heading to the UK locker room. He returned to the court with 6:01 left in the game, though he was limping badly at that point and ended up back on the bench a couple of minutes later.
Washington did not play the final 3:55 of the game, with Davion Mintz finishing the night in the point guard spot.
“We played with whoever was left,” Calipari said. “We were trying to win the game. I was trying to do anything I could. … They did a good job getting back, but when Sahvir went down — he’s the engine on this thing. He gets us all moving. But, like I said, the kids fought. Fought.”
Wheeler is averaging 10.3 points and 7.8 assists per game for the Wildcats so far this season after transferring to Kentucky from Georgia over the summer. He led the SEC in assists last season and came into Tuesday’s game with the third most assists in the country. He was also leading Kentucky in playing time this season with 31.1 minutes per game entering Tuesday night.
Kentucky’s next game is at home against Georgia on Saturday night, and it’s unclear if Wheeler will be available for that matchup.
This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 7:17 PM.
