Jacob Toppin didn’t play in Kentucky-Florida basketball game due to injury
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Game day: No. 5 Kentucky 78, Florida 57
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s game between Kentucky and Florida in Rupp Arena.
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Kentucky Wildcats forward Jacob Toppin was unavailable for UK’s basketball game Saturday against Florida after suffering an ankle injury earlier in the week.
Toppin — a 6-foot-9 junior from Brooklyn — was the Cats’ leading scorer in Tuesday’s game at South Carolina when he rolled his ankle late in the first half. He left the court with 1:42 remaining in the period and was promptly ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime.
UK Coach John Calipari said Friday that he was unsure of Toppin’s status for the game against Florida. He said then that if Toppin couldn’t go against the Gators, it would be an opportunity for other Kentucky players to step up.
“One guy’s misery is another guy’s opportunity,” he said.
On Saturday’s pregame radio show, Calipari said Toppin being out could open up a larger role for freshman Bryce Hopkins, who hasn’t played more than five minutes in any game since UK’s victory over Vanderbilt on Jan. 11.
Hopkins ended up playing just 2:09 on Saturday, and fellow freshman Daimion Collins played just 38 seconds. Neither player attempted a shot. Sophomore Lance Ware did play nearly 14 minutes against the Gators, going for four points and seven rebounds.
Kentucky defeated Florida, 78-57, to improve to 21-4 on the season.
Toppin is averaging 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game so far this season. He’s often been a high-energy spark for Kentucky off the bench, and he had 10 points in just six minutes of play before his injury at South Carolina. That was his fourth double-digit scoring game of the season.
UK will next play at No. 19 Tennessee on Tuesday night.
This story was originally published February 12, 2022 at 3:46 PM.
