Kentucky’s P.J. Washington sidelined with sprained foot for NCAA Tournament opener

By ADAM ZAGORIA

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — No. 2 seed Kentucky got some bad news just as they are set to play No. 15 Abiline Christian here tonight in a first-round NCAA Tournament game in the Midwest Region.

Sophomore forward P.J. Washington is in a hard cast with a sprained foot that he injured in the Tennessee game. That will definitely change how Kentucky looks and plays, as Washington is averaging a team-best 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds.

The specialists confirmed our original diagnosis that @PJWashington has a sprained foot and there is no fracture. Once we determined that PJ was not going to play today, they put him in a hard cast for precautionary reasons. He is out for today’s game.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) March 21, 2019

If Kentucky wins they would get the winner between No. 10 Seton Hall and No. 7 Wofford. The Pirates beat Kentucky, 84-83, on Dec. 8 at Madison Square Garden.

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Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.