CJ Fredrick, Sahvir Wheeler out vs. Mississippi State

Kentucky will be without two members of its backcourt for a second-straight game, the team announced prior to Kentucky’s tip-off against Mississippi State. Neither CJ Fredrick, nor Sahvir Wheeler will suit up for UK on Wednesday.

“Yeah, neither one will play,” UK coach John Calipari said, via KSR. “We’re shorthanded, but we’ve got enough guys. Let’s go, next man up.”

Fredrick is dealing with a cracked rib while Wheeler is dealing with an ankle injury. Both are considered day-to-day.

Catch Wednesday’s SEC clash between UK and Mississippi State live on the SEC Network.

Chin Coleman on Kentucky’s sense of urgency as regular season winds down

It probably feels, at least to many in the Bluegrass, that Kentucky’s backs have been against the wall for a majority of the season. Still, that feels more true than ever now that, following an 0-2 week in SEC play, the Wildcats have dropped out of the NCAA Tournament picture.

With that said, assistant coach Chin Coleman said today with the media that the staff is trying to help the team have the right perspective on their position. They know they’re on the wrong side of the bubble but, if they’re not careful, focusing too much on that and not on the moment might actually be what puts the nail in their coffin.

“I think that, around this time of the year, no matter what the circumstances or the situation you’re in? There’s a sense of urgency because you’re nearing the end. You’re nearing the conference tournament, you’re nearing the conference end, postseason play. All that stuff is starting and playing a factor,” said Coleman. “So I don’t think, other than us playing at a high level with some consistency, there’s a sense of urgency on that. And that’s a part of our preparation. But I think the elephant in the room is there.”

“We know that the season is coming to an end. We’ve got six games left, we’ve got postseason, we’ve got the conference tournament,” Coleman added. “That’s in the parking lot but we’ve got to focus on today. Focus on winning today and not so much worry about that or put pressure on that. Win today, win our practice today, have a good walkthrough, shootaround, and all that to try prepare for Mississippi State. We can’t think about all of that right now. We have to live in the moment.”