Is our injury situation about normal or....

[nicky]

Above/below average....?

Not counting going all the way back to Sam Bowie...starting with the Calipari era:

2013 - Nerlens

2015 - Poythress

2018 - J. Vanderbilt

2018 - J. Baker

2025 - Butler missed last few games

2025-2026 - Lowe

And then throw in Enes Kanter and S. Sharpe not playing

Doesn't look overly horrible but definitely some key players...chime in if I missed anybody

Thoughts...?

 

[akaukswoosh]

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Im just reading about Lowe's injury now.

My lord I dont think theres another power program thats had the injuries issues we've had. And OP, thats a good start but its missing a good amount. TyTy and Grady being injured absolutely derailed that season in 2022 or whenever it was. And 2025 wasnt even just Butler, it was Jrob as well.

 

[I’m The Village Idiot]

Above/below average....?

Not counting going all the way back to Sam Bowie...starting with the Calipari era:

2013 - Nerlens

2015 - Poythress

2018 - J. Vanderbilt

2018 - J. Baker

2025 - Butler missed last few games

2025-2026 - Lowe

And then throw in Enes Kanter and S. Sharpe not playing

Doesn't look overly horrible but definitely some key players...chime in if I missed anybody

Thoughts...?

You missed a few…

2014 - W. Cauley-Stein
2021 - T. Clarke
2022 - T. Washington
2023 - O. Tshiebwe
2024 - A. Bradshaw, U. Onyenso
2025 - K. Kriisa, J. Robinson, A. Carr, etc.

There were many, many more unfortunately.

 

[theBlues]

People get injured in sports and it doesn't happen according to any schedule.

 

[rivercatinfl]

If Lowe's scan or whatever was negative for damage to his shoulder, does that mean he should be back sooner?
I would think so.....

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

I'd say normal.

I think since we are all UK fans we just tend to focus on our injuries but all teams deal with similar issues.

 

[Kentucky15]

I'd say normal.

I think since we are all UK fans we just tend to focus on our injuries but all teams deal with similar issues.

From rosters I’ve gone back and looked at Duke Kansas UNC have not had the injury programs to the extent of UK. Our rivals, UT and UL, have had substantial injuries but again I don’t thing it’s to the extent of ours year to year. Maybe more in a single year.

From what I can tell, UK is in a special group of “perinatally injured” rosters. I didn’t spend tons of time looking but it seems it really is a UK
Problem albeit not sure to what degree. At least, for the programs I looked at.

All teams have injuries. Not all teams have revolving door key player half season / season ending injuries non stop. Not the ones I looked at. I’ll add, I fully believe and always will believe that Calipari faked a lot of unifies. Think that’s
obvious. So if you take those out of it maybe not. Who knows. I would love to see some data on the topic. I mean I really didn’t spent a lot of time digging in.

 

[BlueSince92]

Butler only missed the last few games but he really stopped being his original self once he re-injured it in early February (original injury was January).

None of the other players are relevant because we have completely different staff and approach. I’m not gonna believe in a Kentucky shoulder curse.

But while it’s a very small chance, it’s not entirely impossible our current physical training staff is doing something that’s stressing shoulders for gains. The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body and as part of that it’s also the joint most susceptible to injury.

….Which all by itself could easily explain everything you just listed. All the same, wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to go over our training methods with a fine-tooth comb just to be sure we’re not pushing the envelope some way we should reconsider. Overwhelming chance it’s just dumb luck though.

 

[theBlues]

Overwhelming chance it’s just dumb luck though.

I think that's bingo.

 

[JwUKFan11]

Do some of you watch other sports? Injuries happen all the time. There isn't some curse on UK.

 

[Artlaibesghost]

So much random chance involved in injuries. I would guess that over enough time the law of averages would show the same injury stats for eceryone

 

[Uncle ByeBye]

My pet peeve with basketball injuries is how the players act when they're hurt. You'd have thought Lowe got shot . I remember Paul Pierce getting wheel chaired out cause he had to take a crap

 

[theBlues]

My pet peeve with basketball injuries is how the players act when they're hurt. You'd have thought Lowe got shot . I remember Paul Pierce getting wheel chaired out cause he had to take a crap

I don't think you can equate pain with a life threatening nature of injury. Lots of shoulder injuries might hurt as much as getting shot. If I was just going from personal experience I'd tell you that a broken foot doesn't hurt as much as a sprained ankle and getting beaten with a baseball bat doesn't hurt at all(until later).

 

[Uncle ByeBye]

I don't think you can equate pain with a life threatening nature of injury. Lots of shoulder injuries might hurt as much as getting shot. If I was just going from personal experience I'd tell you that a broken foot doesn't hurt as much as a sprained ankle and getting beaten with a baseball bat doesn't hurt at all(until later).

Lol I need to hear more about the baseball bat

 

[megablue]

You missed a few…

2014 - W. Cauley-Stein
2021 - T. Clarke
2022 - T. Washington
2023 - O. Tshiebwe
2024 - A. Bradshaw, U. Onyenso
2025 - K. Kriisa, J. Robinson, A. Carr, etc.

There were many, many more unfortunately.

Fredrick, Wheeler, Thiero and Wallace

 

[theBlues]

Lol I need to hear more about the baseball bat

It is kind of funny when I think about it now...it was my baseball bat and then I was shot at with my gun.

 

[KyKevin]

It is kind of funny when I think about it now...it was my baseball bat and then I was shot at with my gun.

Sounds like you need to hold your weapons a little tighter

 

[Kentucky15]

Do some of you watch other sports? Injuries happen all the time. There isn't some curse on UK.

well when I looked at 2 of our rivals, and the rest of the blue bloods, I’m not seeing the same rate of injury. I see one where Tennessee and Louisville did but it was a single year. So while I didn’t spend much time and I guess could be off it doesn’t seem like it. Kansas Duke and UNC haven’t been injured at this rate from what I can tell. Maybe someone else can take a look. I guess I could be wrong.

Calipari was notorious for a lot of sketchy injuries which I’ll never believe existed to the extent he would use it, so maybe that’s why we seem to have more. He loved the ole “in a boot” when he thought it was better for their stock. Saw several moving just fine but wearing boots. Not at all saying I couldn’t be wrong, but I think it and always have.

 

[Kentucky15]

My pet peeve with basketball injuries is how the players act when they're hurt. You'd have thought Lowe got shot . I remember Paul Pierce getting wheel chaired out cause he had to take a crap

I was a baseball player all the way through, and I’ve had so many laugh at how we got hurt over what seemed to be nothing. Similar to golfers I guess. But when it tweaks in baseball it hurts like a MF. Basketball players do seem to act like they’ve been shot. I remember MGK, who really did go hard, act like he was dying everytime something happened with contact or the floor. I would think constantly omg omg and he’d lay like a stretcher needed to come out and strep him in. Then just pop up, walk a little and back to it

 

[I’m The Village Idiot]

well when I looked at 2 of our rivals, and the rest of the blue bloods, I’m not seeing the same rate of injury. I see one where Tennessee and Louisville did but it was a single year. So while I didn’t spend much time and I guess could be off it doesn’t seem like it. Kansas Duke and UNC haven’t been injured at this rate from what I can tell. Maybe someone else can take a look. I guess I could be wrong.

Calipari was notorious for a lot of sketchy injuries which I’ll never believe existed to the extent he would use it, so maybe that’s why we seem to have more. He loved the ole “in a boot” when he thought it was better for their stock. Saw several moving just fine but wearing boots. Not at all saying I couldn’t be wrong, but I think it and always have.

Agree with you. No one would be able to convince me we haven’t had worse injury luck than most any other major blueblood. It’s why I watch games nervous as can be at this point.

 

[Kentucky15]

Agree with you. No one would be able to convince me we haven’t had worse injury luck than most any other major blueblood. It’s why I watch games nervous as can be at this point.

also Duke has had some key injuries during some years. But I just don’t see where it’s the same year in and year out like us.

Im with you I just know every single year key guys we going down. If JQ comes back and stays out there for the year I’ll be surprised at this point. good thing about this is it’s not Calipari and I never thought all of the injuries were as severe as he’d let on. If Pope thinks JQ or others can play he’s going to play them. Similar to Butler last season. If butler played for Calipari and was a NBA prospect he’d have never been back out there imo

 

[BlueSince92]

I think that's bingo.

Most likely but still wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to double check and make sure there’s not some overlooked training regimen reason we’ve had five shoulder injuries among two point guards in ten months if you count all the recurrences. This women’s sports situation comes to mind, where they were having a huge problem with debilitating leg injuries in softball, I think it was. They got really technical analyzing everything in terms of kinesiology and found they could add basically a wall squat into their training and it cut that injury rate down by like ninety percent.