JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Kentucky won its first NCAA Tournament game without PJ Washington. It may need to repeat the feat again Saturday.
"The option was the (walking) boot or the cast," UK coach John Calipari said of Washington's sprained foot. "The cast would speed up the heeling, so we said put the cast on."
Calipari said Wednesday he expected Washington to play after wearing a walking boot as a precaution earlier this week, but after Washington's evaluation by a specialist he instead was placed in a hard cast and watched the 79-44 win over Abilene Christian from the bench.