Pair of key Kentucky players to miss tilt vs. No. 10 Tennessee, per report

A pair of key Kentucky players will miss Saturday’s important matchup against No. 10 Tennessee.

According to Buzz Baker of WKYT on Kentucky’s pregame show and Hunter Shelton of SINow, both CJ Fredrick and Sahvir Wheeler are expected to miss Saturday’s game. Fredrick is suffering from a ribs injury while Wheeler has been out since early February with an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, Tennessee’s Josiah-Jordan James and Julian Phillips are both considered game-time decisions.

Looks like both CJ Fredrick and Sahvir Wheeler will be out of the game tonight according to @buzzbaker

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) February 18, 2023

Kentucky will be shorthanded once again. CJ Fredrick (ribs) already reported out. Still no sign of Sahvir Wheeler, but with him being in a boot in Starkville, signs point to him being out as well.

Josiah-Jordan James and Julian Phillips are still game-time decisions for UT.

— Hunter Shelton (@HunterShelton_) February 18, 2023

Wheeler currently leads the SEC in assists per game with 5.6, while Fredrick has shown he can be a strong scorer, though he has had some consistency issues. He scored 13 against Tennessee last time around.

Kentucky needs a win Saturday to keep realistic chances of an at-large bid alive. Lose and the Wildcats aren’t out of it, but things become really difficult entering the final 2 weeks of the season.