No. 4 Kentucky enters Tennessee rematch short-handed
Kentucky coach John Calipari said it’s unlikely that injured forward Reid Travis will play Saturday at Tennessee.
Travis sprained his right knee in a win over Missouri Feb. 19 and has not played since. His defense on Southeastern Conference scoring leader Grant Williams was vital in Kentucky’s 86-69 win over Tennessee at Rupp Arena two weeks ago.
“We’re going to see what he does today and tomorrow, but I doubt it,” Calipari said Friday of Travis’ readiness.
No. 7 Tennessee doesn’t expect a break in its rematch with No. 4 Kentucky. The Volunteers lost last week to No. 13 LSU, leaving Kentucky (24-4, 13-2), Tennessee (25-3, 13-2) and LSU (23-5, 13-2) in a tie for first in the SEC. LSU has the advantage for tournament seeding because it went 20 against Kentucky and Tennessee.
Calipari said Friday that Travis “was unbelievable keeping an eye on Williams defensively” during the first KentuckyTennessee matchup. Williams scored 16 points but had only four field-goal attempts as Kentucky ended the Volunteers’ school-record 19-game win streak.
The Wildcats have won their first two games without Travis after rallying from a 15-point hole for a 70-66 home win Tuesday over Arkansas. Tennessee has won 24 in a row at home and has beaten Kentucky in Knoxville each of the last three seasons entering Saturday’s game.
San Diego State
Forward Jalen McDaniels made his first comments since being sued by two women for allegedly filming sex acts in 2016 and sharing them with friends through social media. McDaniels, who leads the Aztecs with 16.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, called the lawsuits “a very serious situation.” The redshirt sophomore has avoided public comments since the first suit was filed in December but said Friday he was “comfortable” to talk after consulting with his family and lawyer. “I feel like everywhere I go people are going to ask questions,” said McDaniels, who attended high school in Federal Way, Wash. He said he couldn’t talk about the alleged victims but that the scrutiny from fans has weighed on him. “You never know what they think of you. You can say it doesn’t affect you but it really does. I just want to let them know I’m growing every day to be a better person.”
Ohio State
Leading scorer Kaleb Wesson has been suspended indefinitely for violating an unspecified athletic department policy. The school did not say when the sophomore could return, only that he will play again this season. Coach Chris Holtmann announced the suspension Friday. Wessen is averaging 14.6 points per game for the Buckeyes (18-10, 8-9 Big Ten) and is their top rebounder with 6.7 per game average. The Buckeyes have three regularseason games left, starting at No. 14 Purdue on Saturday. Wesson had 18 points in a 90-70 win over Iowa on Tuesday.