Kentucky starting guard Sahvir Wheeler leaves exhibition game with injury

A Kentucky men’s basketball team that has dealt with several preseason injuries might have another one added to the list.

During Sunday night’s exhibition game between Kentucky and Missouri Western State in Rupp Arena, UK starting guard senior Sahvir Wheeler suffered a hard fall during a drive to the basket in the second half.

Wheeler remained down on the Rupp Arena court for several minutes, before limping to the UK bench and then back to the UK locker room.

Wheeler did not put any weight on his right leg when moving to the bench and locker room, and needed assistance to walk.

Wheeler was helped to the bench and then the UK locker room by UK’s head athletic trainer, Geoffrey Staton.

He was ruled out for the rest of the game with a “right leg injury.”

After Sunday night’s game, UK head coach John Calipari said that hopefully Wheeler will be okay, and that Wheeler injured that same right knee about 10 days ago.

This prior injury kept Wheeler out of UK practice for several days, and was the reason why Wheeler didn’t participate during last week’s Blue-White game in Pikeville.

Wheeler’s stat line at the time of the injury was: four points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field with two rebounds, one assist and two turnovers. He had played 22 of a possible 29 minutes in the game before being sidelined.

Last season, Wheeler played his first season at Kentucky after transferring from Georgia.

He was an All-SEC Second Team selection and ranked third nationally with an average of 6.9 assists per game. Wheeler was second in the SEC with a 2.27 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Kentucky was already without reigning consensus National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe for the exhibition contest as he recovers from a knee procedure.

All other UK scholarship players appeared in Sunday night’s game.

This story was originally published October 30, 2022 at 8:39 PM.

Cameron Drummond

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-242-5257

Cameron Drummond works as a sports reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader with a focus on Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting and the UK men’s basketball team, horse racing, soccer and other sports in Central Kentucky. Drummond is a second-generation American who was born and raised in Texas, before graduating from Indiana University. He is a fluent Spanish speaker who previously worked as a community news reporter in Austin, Texas. Support my work with a digital subscription