Lamont Butler is still out. Injury updates on UK basketball’s guards after win vs. Colgate.

It took more effort than expected, but the Kentucky men’s basketball team scored another win Wednesday night.

And Mark Pope’s team pulled off the victory without its top two point guards.

UK (9-1) held off a game effort from Colgate (2-9) by a 78-67 score at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats won the game despite being without fifth-year guards Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa.

Kriisa’s absence was expected: The former Arizona and West Virginia guard suffered a foot injury during UK’s comeback win over Gonzaga on Saturday night.

Butler’s absence was the more noteworthy story: The former San Diego State standout suffered a right ankle injury during last week’s road loss at Clemson. Butler didn’t play Saturday in the win over Gonzaga, and he again didn’t suit up for the Cats against Colgate.

Following Kentucky’s win over Colgate, Pope provided an update on both Butler and Kriisa.

Regarding Butler, Pope said that he did a light workout Wednesday.

“Every day is like, we test him a little bit more… We’ll know more tomorrow morning when he wakes up, how he’s feeling,” Pope said of Butler.

Pope also expressed a desire to have Butler return for the Wildcats soon, with an eye on Saturday’s rivalry matchup against Louisville.

As UK’s starting point guard this season, Butler has impressed. He is shooting a career-best 55.1% from the field while averaging 3.9 assists.

Regarding Kriisa, Pope said that he has already undergone surgery for his foot injury. Pope estimated a six-week recovery period from the procedure.

“He might bring more energy to the team on the bench, actually,” Pope said after the victory. “… He can be an incredibly valuable piece to this team right now. … He’s an important part for us.”

During his postgame radio show, Pope said Kriisa video called him from the hospital bed once his surgery was completed.

“In true Kerr fashion, he FaceTimed me the second he woke up. He fully acknowledged that he was as high as a kite. And he was going down a laundry list of all the people that he loved so much,” Pope said, before joking that he should have found a way to broadcast the exchange live on Instagram.

Kriisa is averaging 4.4 points and 3.8 assists in his first season as a Wildcat, with 34 total assists against only nine turnovers.

After Wednesday’s win, Pope also stressed the importance of Kriisa to Kentucky’s offensive pace, which is central to the team’s stated goal of attempting 35 3-pointers per game.

With Butler and Kriisa both sidelined, Kentucky will, obviously, have to turn to other potential solutions at point guard.

The options include using fifth-year wing Jaxson Robinson in a primary ball-handling role, as well as increased playing time for freshman Travis Perry, the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky high school boys basketball history.

Robinson finished off the Gonzaga game at point guard for the Wildcats and did so impressively, with five assists and no turnovers.

Perry has played in seven of UK’s 10 games this season, all off the bench. He logged nine minutes of action on Wednesday against Colgate, missing all four of his shot attempts. He didn’t register an assist or a turnover.

This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 7:32 PM.

Cameron Drummond

Lexington Herald-Leader

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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