Kentucky standout point guard Lamont Butler exited the Wildcats’ Southeastern Conference tournament second-round game against Oklahoma on Thursday after he aggravated his left shoulder injury.
After 15th-ranked Kentucky pulled out an 85-84 win, coach Mark Pope said on UK Sports Network Radio that Butler’s injury was “devastating,” though he didn’t clarify.
Pope added, “We’ll see how things look in the morning and go from there. …
“It just doesn’t seem fair. This is not a fair game. I’m not saying that, but man, I would like so badly for him to be able to step on a court again. We’ll see how it goes.”
Butler was hurt just past the midway point of the first half and missed the rest of the game. Pope said during a halftime television interview that Butler was undergoing imaging on the shoulder.
Butler returned to the bench seven minutes into the second half wearing an athletic shirt and not his jersey.
Butler covered his mouth while filling in his teammates, and a few of them had reactions that displayed disappointment.
Butler had two points and three assists in eight minutes before departing.
The senior was a high-profile transfer from San Diego State after Mark Pope became head coach in April. Butler made the biggest shot in Aztecs history when he drained a jumper as time expired in a 72-71 victory over Florida Atlantic, a victory that put San Diego State in the 2023 national championship game.
Entering Thursday, Butler was averaging 11.9 points, 4.4 assists in 23 games for the Wildcats.
–Field Level Media
