Is Kentucky’s Adou Thiero available to play at Texas A&M? John Calipari gives an update.
Sophomore Adou Thiero wasn’t available to play for Kentucky men’s basketball for a fourth straight game in Saturday’s 97-92 overtime loss at Texas A&M.
Thiero — the sophomore standout who has averaged 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season — didn’t suit up for the Wildcats against the Aggies.
Thiero didn’t participate in initial pregame warmups with his UK teammates Saturday, instead watching from the bench without being dressed in uniform.
The UK program announced in a pregame social media post that Thiero wouldn’t play. On Kentucky’s pregame radio show Saturday, head coach John Calipari said Thiero “still has some testing to do.”
Postgame, Calipari briefly mentioned Thiero’s absence as part of a larger answer about Kentucky’s current defensive struggles.
Thiero hasn’t appeared in a game for UK since logging 13 minutes in a rivalry win at Louisville on Dec. 21.
In total, Thiero has now missed a third of Kentucky’s season so far: This is the fifth time in 15 games that he hasn’t been available to play.
In addition to this current four-game run of missed time, Thiero also sat out UK’s second game of the season against Texas A&M-Commerce while in concussion protocol.
And Thiero’s absence for Kentucky against Texas A&M on Saturday loomed large: The Aggies entered the contest leading the nation in offensive rebounding, with an average of more than 18 offensive rebounds per game.
Against Kentucky, Texas A&M came up with 25 offensive rebounds.
The UK program announced that Thiero missed the first two games of this current stretch — against Illinois State on Dec. 29 and Florida on Jan. 6 — due to “general soreness.”
While no official statement was given regarding Thiero’s absence from Kentucky’s SEC home opener, a Tuesday night win over Missouri, Calipari addressed Thiero’s absence postgame.
“The back was bothering him and this was the best course of action. So hopefully he is back soon,” Calipari said Tuesday.
Prior to that comment, Calipari explained the positives Thiero brings to the court for UK.
“What he brings to the table, eight rebounds and a toughness. Rebounding in traffic. Another guy that can pass, dribble and shoot,” Calipari said. “But he is more of a perimeter guy who is eventually going to be about 6-9 at 240 (pounds) or 250 and a player like inside outside, shoot, drive, dunk, make a pass. But he’s got to get healthy.”
Already this season, Thiero has put together some standout performances, including 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.
This story was originally published January 13, 2024 at 1:18 PM.
