Lamont Butler declared OUT at Tennessee while Andrew Carr is QUESTIONABLE

Lamont Butler defends Mark Sears - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

Andrew Carr was a late scratch against Vanderbilt after initially being listed as questionable the night before, ‘trending in the wrong direction’ after fighting through a back injury in recent weeks, as Mark Pope described it following the loss in Nashville. Kerr Kriisa was declared out once again, as expected, with his status remaining unchanged since breaking his foot back on December 7. Then we had Lamont Butler seemingly re-aggravate his shoulder, an injury suffered against Texas A&M that left him listed as a game-time decision against No. 4 Alabama on January 18.

Where do things stand ahead of Kentucky’s trip to Knoxville to take on No. 8 Tennessee?

Well, not great. In fact, things are pretty darn bad with Butler ruled OUT the night before while Carr is QUESTIONABLE, according to the official SEC Availability Report. At best, the Cats are down one starter with another significantly banged up. At worst, they’re down two starters taking on the No. 1 defense in college basketball, a team that prides itself on toughness and physicality.

Kriisa was unsurprisingly declared out as he works his way back from surgery, his status firmly up in the air moving forward.

For the Volunteers, sophomore forward J.P. Estrella — out for the year with a foot injury — is the only player on the availability report.

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Not good. Not good at all.

The new SEC policy states that players must be listed as “out” (0% chance to play), “doubtful” (25% chance to play), “questionable” (50% chance to play), or “probable” (75% chance to play) in reports prior to game days. On the final report, players will be designated as “available,” “game-time decision” or “out” in an effort to provide additional clarity.

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