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Game Day Injury Update: Three Players Remain “OUT” For Vanderbilt Matchup

Kentucky will continue to play without all three of their primary point guards as they seek revenge against Vanderbilt at home.

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Kentucky guard Jaxson Robinson (2) celebrates from the bench.
Jordan Prather-Imagn

In spite of multiple promising updates as of late on Kentucky’s trio of injured guards, all three have been declared “OUT” in tonight’s bout with Vanderbilt at home.

First it was Kerr Kriisa, then Lamont Butler, and now, Jaxson Robinson; all three of Kentucky’s go-to point guard options held off the court with successive injuries. A strikeout at what many would call the most important position on the court.

The Good, the Bad, and the Unexpected

The latest news from Coach Pope on each part of the whole unit noted, perhaps most surprisingly, Kerr Kriisa’s confirmed eligibility for a medical redshirt.

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As he continues to draw closer to playable health, he’ll have to choose to either return to this team for the remainder of the season, or sit the rest out and qualify for another go with the 25-26’ squad.

Regarding the other two ‘Cats, Lamont Butler is trending positively, according to Pope, with his shoulder injury. He re-tweaked the ailment two games ago against Tennessee at home. His return, if not imminent, is certainly in sight.

On a more unfortunate note, Jaxson Robinson seems to be in the opposite camp. After injuring his shooting hand in a practice before the South Carolina Gamecocks’ visit to Lexington, Robinson has now missed two straight games since.

As Robinson works to bounce back, he’s reportedly begun shooting with his opposite hand. A bad sign, to say the least. To boot, both Butler and Robinson averaged double-digit points for the ‘Cats in starting roles, leaving a massive chasm of reliablity in their wake.

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Whether or not Kentucky will get any one of Kriisa, Butler or Robinson back at all remains to be officially seen, but either way, the most crucial stretch of games this season lies ahead, and the Wildcats will have to rely on those that still remain to make one last run before March.

Tonight’s matchup with Vanderbilt will kick off the six game stretch in Rupp Arena, where the Wildcats will look to split the season series with the Commodores. Tipoff is at 7:00 on ESPN.

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Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh Declares for NBA Draft, Maintains College Eligibility

Arguably the centerpiece of last year’s team, Otega Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft… but that doesn’t mean he’s officially gone.

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Otega Oweh declares for the NBA Draft whilst maintaining his college eligibility.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Few players have taken the Big Blue Nation by storm like Otega Oweh did with his arrival this past season. A lot was new in Lexington last year, but #00 stuck out for a number of reasons; namely, his infectious energy on the court and the high odds that he was going to put an opponent on a poster on any given night.

Now, Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft. He made the announcement on social media, calling Kentucky fans the “best fans in the world.”

While this may seem dire for folks keeping tabs on next year’s roster, that last line in Oweh’s announcement is crucial: “…while maintaining my NCAA eligibility.” Essentially, Otega’s time in Lexington is far from over, at least for the time being.

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Whether or not “Tegatron” returns to Rupp will likely depend on what he hears during the draft process, and where exactly he wants to land. In the modern college basketball landscape, it’s become common practice for players to “test the waters” in the draft, just to get an idea as to where they stand with the league, before returning to college for another year of development.

Take, for example, Jaxson Robinson just last season. Before his eventual transfer to Kentucky, Robinson declared for the draft out of BYU, maintaining his eligibility, before pulling from the process in order to spend his senior year at Kentucky. It happens all the time.

While that doesn’t necessarily set Oweh’s return in stone, it at least gives the Big Blue Nation to take a breather and keep calm, as his departure is far from official. Either way, #00 is a Lexington legend whose first go-around in Kentucky blue was as memorable as anyone’s could be. The “Oweh, Oweh, Oweh” chants will go on regardless.

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Men's Basketball

Four Star Forward Visiting Kentucky Amidst Recruitment Rumors

Mark Pope is looking to close out a strong sophomore effort in the transfer portal, and this freshman guard may be the final piece.

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Four star guard Braydon Hawthorne is on a visit to Kentucky.
Braydon Hawthorne | WVU Athletics

As the transfer portal trucks on (and the NCAA races to find ways to regulate it), Mark Pope is looking to tie a bow on his already highly-ranked 2025-26′ roster. The latest potential addition becomes in the form of a freshman who, after pulling his commitment from West Virginia, will be on an official visit to Kentucky today, Wednesday, April 16.

Braydon Hawthorne, the 6’8″ forward at hand, is a lengthy, scoring wing with high upside on the offensive end. His 7’3″ wingspan opens opportunities for development on the defensive end, too – he’s an investment opportunity of the highest order. On3 currently has him at 48th on their ranking of 2025 recruits.

In addition to Kentucky and West Virginia (where Hawthorne is from), schools such as Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Marquette, Dayton, Old Dominion, Mount St. Mary’s, and more have thrown their hats into the ring, although the general consensus seems to be that Kentucky has the strongest pull/interest in the prospect for the time being.

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Whether or not that actually means he’ll be in blue and white is unfortunately unsure – as that’s how the transfer portal operates – but an in-person visit is a good indicator of mutual interest. Plus, with Kentucky “losing out” on Lamar Wilkerson, who committed to Indiana, a scoring spot in the back court remains open… and Hawthorne is a compelling candidate to fill it.

While Wildcats fans wait patiently for a potential commitment, all eyes are on Coach Cody Fueger’s X account for a trademark “boom” post.

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Men's Basketball

Brandon Garrison Announces Return To Kentucky For The 2025-26 Season

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Chet White | UK Athletics

Brandon Garrison isn’t going anywhere. 

The 6-foot-10 forward will be returning to the Kentucky Wildcats for his junior season in the 2025-26 campaign. 

Garrison took to social media first, posting a story on his personal Instagram that showed a simple graphic reading the words “I’m back.”

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Speculation and rumors have swirled around the Oklahoma native all offseason, and with the addition of Andrija Jelavic, Big Blue Nation worried that Garrison would be hitting the portal sooner than later. 

Now, with his returning announcement public, Garrison will look to assert himself in the offseason as a dominant force that deserves the starting role.

Last season, he backed up Amari Williams, coming off of the bench and averaging 5.9 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game in just 17.3 minutes a night. 

It’s unclear if he’s guaranteed anything in regards to a starting spot. However, having played a year already in Mark Pope’s system, Garrison may get a nod for the role over one of the transfer pickups. 

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Pope and the coaching staff have been publicly confident in the development of “BG” and see him as a vocal leader on and off the court. 

With a full offseason ahead where he’ll be harnessing his skill set and bettering his game in any way possible, Kentucky fans will be glad that Garrison chose to stick around another year. 

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