Kentucky star sophomore forward P.J. Washington is expected to play in the Wildcats’ NCAA tournament opener on Thursday after a sprained foot hampered him during the SEC tournament semifinals against Tennessee.
Wildcats head coach John Calipari told reporters on Wednesday that Washington “wants to play” and that he expects his star will be ready for Thursday night’s 7:10 p.m. EST tip-off against No. 15 seed Abilene Christian.
Washington’s x-rays were negative, according to Calipari, as he was seen in a walking boot on Tuesday. The walking boot is for precautionary reasons as Washington wasn’t in the locker room on Wednesday to deal with media. Kentucky probably doesn’t need Washington to play against Abilene Christian due to its deep and talented frontcourt, it will be nice to see how Washington looks while getting some early minutes to test things out.