Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson return for UK basketball at Oklahoma: How did it go?
The Wildcats’ dramatic last-second victory over the Sooners had it all: a standout scoring performance by Otega Oweh against his former team, a wild final sequence for Kentucky, and numerous players on both teams facing off against their old teammates.
However, what shouldn’t be overlooked is the return of Kentucky’s veteran guards and how their individual performances went.
Initially, both Butler and Robinson were listed as probable for Wednesday’s game in Kentucky’s SEC injury report, released Tuesday night. By game time, both players had been removed from the report.
During UK’s pregame radio show, head coach Mark Pope confirmed that both players would start.
“We’re going to play them. They’ve been cleared, and we’ll let them run and see how it goes,” Pope stated before the game. “We’ll be holding our breath for the first hits, but they’ve practiced the last two days and are both feeling good.”
This marked Butler’s first appearance after missing three straight games due to a left shoulder injury sustained during a win over Texas A&M on Jan. 14. He had previously missed three games earlier in the season for the same issue. Robinson, on the other hand, was returning after sitting out four games due to a right wrist injury that he suffered in practice on Feb. 7.
Lamont Butler returns, fouls out for Kentucky
Butler started for Kentucky on Wednesday but didn’t play at the end of the game.
In 20 minutes of play, Butler recorded seven points, six assists, four rebounds, and three turnovers. He fouled out of the game with 4:16 left, marking the third time this season he had been disqualified due to fouls, with UK losing the previous two games in which this occurred, against Ohio State in New York City and at Vanderbilt.
Butler’s individual plus-10 rating was the best of any player in the game.
Though Butler wore a substantial brace on his left shoulder during the game, he handled contact well. Oklahoma tried to involve Butler in screening actions, often with 6-foot-10 Sam Godwin and 6-foot-11 Luke Northweather colliding with Butler, who is 6-foot-2.
Despite the challenges, Butler stayed composed. Even when he fell, he quickly bounced back without showing signs of re-injuring his left shoulder, which had been aggravated during a home win over Tennessee on Feb. 11.
Butler made one of his two field goals and was perfect at the free-throw line, going 5-for-5.
Jaxson Robinson sits out second half at Oklahoma
Robinson, who hails from Oklahoma, played only in the first half against the Sooners. He scored seven points in 12 minutes, shooting 3-for-7 from the field and 1-for-5 from beyond the arc. Robinson also recorded two steals and one assist.
During the game, Robinson wore a tape around his right wrist. However, after halftime, he was seen with his wrist fully wrapped while sitting on the bench. Observing from the sidelines, Robinson was spotted holding his wrist and giving high-fives with his left hand, clearly avoiding using his injured right wrist.