Will Adou Thiero play for UK basketball against Missouri? John Calipari provides update.

For the third straight game, Kentucky men’s basketball will be short-handed.

No, this isn’t a reference to the ongoing NCAA eligibility process with freshman big Zvonimir Ivisic, but rather a nagging injury that has continued to sideline sophomore standout Adou Thiero.

The 6-foot-8 Thiero will miss his third game in a row when the Wildcats host Missouri in an SEC contest on Tuesday night.

Thiero — who has averaged 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game — also sat out games against Illinois State on Dec. 29 and Florida on Saturday with “general soreness,” per the program.

On his weekly radio show Monday night, UK head coach John Calipari said Thiero didn’t practice with the Cats earlier that day.

“It’s still day-to-day stuff,” Calipari said. “I don’t know if they have a plan to see if he can go (against Missouri).”

Calipari confirmed during his pregame radio appearance Tuesday night that Thiero wouldn’t play against the Tigers.

Thiero didn’t go through any of the pregame warmup process with his UK teammates before the game.

This marks the fourth time in 14 games this season that Thiero will be out of action: He also missed UK’s second game of the season against Texas A&M-Commerce while in concussion protocol.

The sophomore standout has proved central to Kentucky’s ability to rebound the ball. His standout performances have come in two of the highest-profile UK games as well, with a 16-point, 13-rebound effort against then-No. 1 Kansas in the Champions Classic and a four-block outing against then-No. 9 North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic.

Without Thiero, Kentucky was outrebounded 45-40 overall against Illinois State and surrendered a staggering 24 offensive rebounds to the Redbirds.

In Saturday’s SEC-opening win at Florida, the host Gators also held slight edges in these categories: Florida outrebounded Kentucky 43-40 overall and 11-8 in terms of offensive boards.

This story was originally published January 9, 2024 at 6:30 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