Any version of Lamont Butler on the court is better than none at all, but the starting senior guard, despite returning to play from his shoulder injury, has confirmed that he still isn’t quite around full strength.

It’s been nearly two months now since Butler first went down the ailment in a home win over Texas A&M on Jan. 14. Since then, Butler has played in intermittent stretches, stopping and sitting for various injury-related reasons and, unfortunately, forcing the ‘Cats to adapt in his absence.

Staying the Course

It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing, with Kentucky faring 5-7 in their last 12 games, but the team has still managed to win enough to stay afloat on the season as a whole, maintaining an outlook for a top four seed come selection Sunday according to bracket guru Joe Lunardi.

Though in the end, even considering the team’s recent relative success, Lamont Butler being active and suited up appears crucial to Kentucky’s chances to make a tournament run later this month. Not only is the team still out their original backup point guard in Kerr Kriisa, but with an average spread of 12 points, three rebounds and five dimes per game, Butler has proven invaluable to the Wildcats’ success against higher-ranking opponents.

And it goes without saying that Butler’s prior, game-winning experience in March, when he spurred San Diego State to a championship run just two years ago, will go a long way when things inevitably come down to the wire in a do-or-die tournament game. Time is running out, and even if “PG1” is capped at “85-90%”, as he said, it’s still better than having him dressed down at 0%.

Butler will continue to progress towards full health as he and Kentucky continue to ramp up to the NCAA Tournament. Their next bout, and his last at Rupp, comes tomorrow night against the 14-15 LSU Tigers. You can catch the game at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN (assuming the game before it doesn’t run an hour over).

A loss at Rupp Arena will never go down easy, regardless of context. But one in blowout fashion to a team that hasn’t left Lexington with a win in nearly three decades? That’s a harder pill to swallow than most.

Granted, Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers have only dropped two games on the season so far, and they have the #1 national ranking to show for it. Few will dispute the notion that they’re the best team in college basketball right now.

But with a final score of 94-78 and with only four made three-pointers on 17 attempts, the Wildcats looked like they’d lost their identity this past Saturday – and the worst time to do so is just two weeks before the NCAA Tournament puts the madness in March.

Hope in Pope

Though, perhaps in anticipated fashion, Mark Pope isn’t done with this group yet. “We have a really good team, and we have beautiful kids we’re cheering for, and we’re 4-3 right now against the top five ranked teams in the country. We have a winning record against top-five ranked teams, and we have great stuff here coming up…” he said after the loss.

“This team is going to come back with a vengeance on Tuesday night (against LSU), then we’re going to go play an incredibly difficult, challenging road game to finish conference season, and then we’re moving on to the SEC Tournament. We’re going to Nashville, and it’s going to be fireworks of epic proportions.”

“We’ve got a really good team, and we’ve got good stuff ahead.”

“Good stuff ahead”, or, in other words, “job not finished.” At this point, all that’s left ahead is the road to San Antonio, where the 2025 Final Four will take place. In spite of persistent injury issues and a general lack of consensus and consistency, this Kentucky team is still projected to land on the 3/4 seed line in the tournament. As dim as it all may seem right now, this is a Kentucky team with a lot of fight left.

Tough Talks

“The one thing about a locker room is it is a place of truth, and you can’t move on unless you face the truth,” Pope added. “”We are in the process of having hard conversations.”

What is the truth for this Kentucky team? The stats suggest many things, but chief among them is their ability to win when it matters. Healthy or hobbled, home or away; every time these ‘Cats have been faced with a must-win, they make it happen.

It doesn’t hurt that Pope plans to burn the suit he wore in the Auburn game, too. There’s no room for any more bad luck on the road to a title run. He and Kentucky will close out the season with a home battle with the 14-15 LSU Tigers, followed by a road trip to Missouri to take on the their set band of Tigers in three games.

Once again, it’s eat or be eaten. Only time will tell how the vengeful Wildcats will respond.

It has not been a great start to March for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Following an 18-point loss at home to Auburn, Mark Pope announced the loss of Jaxson Robinson for the season as he gets set to undergo wrist surgery.

That said, Selection Sunday is less than two weeks away. With just two regular-season games remaining, Kentucky’s focus turns toward the LSU Tigers on Tuesday and potentially locking up a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Tuesday’s game will also be Senior Night, where the Wildcats will have seven players honored: Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Kerr Kriisa, Jaxson Robinson, and Amari Williams.

The Tigers are led by former Murray State coach Matt McMahon, they are just .500 on the season with a 3-12 record in the SEC. However, they have been playing better of late. In their last three games, they led a top-five Florida team at halftime and took Tennessee and Mississippi State to the wire.

After looking uncompetitive against the No. 1 team in the nation and losing a key starter, how will the Wildcats respond?

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

More 3-Point Attempts

In terms of 3-point shooting, LSU and Kentucky are complete opposites. The Wildcats shoot the second-best percentage from deep in the SEC at 37.3%, while LSU shoots the second-worst percentage from deep in the SEC at 31.1%.

While shooting such a high percentage, the Wildcats have struggled with 3-point attempts as opponents consistently prioritize running them off the 3-point line. In the month of February alone, the Wildcats are averaging just over 23.1 attempts per game, a far cry from the thirty-plus attempts that Pope hopes for.

Defensively, LSU guards the 3-point shot well, forcing opponents to shoot under 30% in SEC play. This will be an opportunity for the staff to generate and scheme looks from deep without Robinson and take what works into the postseason.

Crash the Offensive Glass

LSU’s biggest flaw is their defensive rebounding as they allow opponents to rebound nearly a third of their misses and average over 10 offensive rebounds per game.

Losing the rebound battle in three of the last four games, Kentucky needs to step it up in that area. Rebounding is all about fight, and they should send four guys to crash the boards for those extra opportunities.

After losing the way they did to Auburn, and in what will be many of the Wildcats’ last game in Rupp Arena, I expect them to play inspired and motivated.

Win the Turnover Battle

Coming off a game with a season-high in turnovers (18), many of them unforced, taking care of the ball will certainly be a priority. However, it has been an issue for weeks as the Wildcats have turned the ball over 12 or more times in five straight contests.

Lamont Butler continues to get healthier with each day, so that should help as he runs things, but he did have five turnovers. Amari Williams, who has been the second most prominent ball-handler, had 6 turnovers of his own.

In a game that Kentucky needs, they cannot afford to give up possessions and beat themselves.

Opposing Players to Watch

G Cam Carter 6-3, 190 lbs

• 16.9 PPG (7th in SEC)
• 4.0 RPG
• 2.6 APG

G Jordan Sears 5-11, 185 lbs

• 11.7 PPG
• 2.8 RPG
• 2.6 APG

G Daimion Collins 6-9, 200 lbs

• 8.6 PPG
• 4.4 RPG
• 1.6 BPG (6th in SEC)

Kentucky Basketball vs. LSU Tigers

Time: 7 PM ET on March 4th
Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky
TV Channel: ESPN2
Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | LSU
Stats to Know: UK | LSU
KenPom: UK | LSU
Team Sheet: UK | LSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky favored by 12.5 points with an over/under of 157.5. EvanMiya gives the Cats an 89.1% chance to win, followed by KenPom at 89%. BartTorvik is at 87%, and ESPN is at 85.8%.

Predictions: KenPom projects the biggest margin of victory 86-72. EvanMiya and BartTorvik are close behind with 85-72 and 86-73 victories respectively. Haslametrics has it at 83-72 for the Cats. With so many seniors playing in Rupp Arena for the final time, and what this season has meant to them, I expect Kentucky to win. That said, they are going to have to experiment with some things with Robinson out, keeping it closer than it should. I’m going with an 83-76 victory, Kentucky!

Send us your Kentucky vs. LSU score predictions in the comments section!

Go CATS!