Thursday night, Kentucky claimed its record 127th NCAA Tournament victory in school history, blasting Abilene Christian 79-44. A couple hours later, the Wofford Terriers claimed their school’s first NCAA Tournament win, beating Seton Hall 84-68.

But when the schools meet Saturday afternoon with a NCAA Sweet 16 berth hanging in the balance, neither UK’s star forward P.J. Washington nor those surplus 126 victories will do the Wildcats any good.

Washington, Kentucky’s top scorer and rebounder (14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game) and de facto best player, missed the Wildcats’ game Thursday with a sprained foot. He appeared before and after the game in a full leg cast and used a motorized scooter to move to and from the court. After John Calipari admitted after the game that he was not optimistic about the chances of Washington playing Saturday, the school officially ruled Washington out for the second consecutive game. And a Kentucky team that was just readjusting to life after losing Reid Travis due to a leg injury late in the SEC schedule again finds itself lacking an integral part.

Meanwhile, the 30-4 Terriers would give UK some concern even at full strength. The Terriers are riding a 21-game winning streak, and are one of the NCAA’s most prolific 3-point shooting squads. Senior guard Fletcher Magee set an NCAA record for career 3-pointers, with 509 and counting. Guard Nathan Hoover doesn’t make as many as Magee, but he’s the team’s most accurate 3-point shooter. Senior forward Cameron Jackson is a 6-8 presence who can battle inside and help free up the Terriers’ shooters.

Wofford’s 4 losses were all in November and December, and they came against North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mississippi State — all four NCAA Tournament teams. The Terriers beat SEC foe South Carolina early in the season.

Meanwhile, Kentucky’s first game without Washington was a success, although it also showed reasons to be concerned moving ahead. Guard Keldon Johnson took charge offensively, scoring 25 points, the most he had scored in a game since November. Graduate post player Reid Travis totaled 18 points and 9 rebounds, marking his complete return from a recent knee injury which had sidelined him in late February through early March.

That said, Washington’s minutes were basically split between freshman E.J. Montgomery and sophomore Nick Richards. The two combined for 9 points and 15 rebounds, but did also total 7 fouls in 40 minutes of action. With Kentucky having just 8 scholarship players, foul trouble is a luxury the Wildcats can’t afford.

Meanwhile, Wofford took the fight to a Seton Hall team that upset Kentucky in December.  The two teams battled to a virtual deadlock, with Seton Hall claiming a 54-53 lead midway through the second half. Wofford then made a 17-0 run to salt the game away. Magee led the damage, knocking down 7-of-12 3-point attempts on his way to 24 points. Hoover added 4 3s, and Jackson finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Wofford finished 13-for-28 from 3-point range, numbers that doubtlessly concern Kentucky coach John Calipari.

At time of writing, the Wildcats are a 5-point favorite, and they will boast an advantage both in size and athleticism, although not in experience or shooting ability. Given the absence of Washington and the difficulties of Montgomery and Richards, Calipari might well elect to play a small lineup with Keldon Johnson at power forward with three guards and Travis down low.

Kentucky remains hopeful that a victory might allow Washington to return to the lineup in the Sweet 16 in Kansas City. Wofford would like nothing more than to render that question irrelevant while building their own March history.