Terrence Clarke will remain out Saturday as Kentucky takes on Tennessee.
The Kentucky Wildcats are having a brutal season, to say the least. The team has jumped out to a dismal 5-11 start and will face the tough task Saturday of trying to take down No. 11 Tennessee.
The Wildcats will once again be without freshman Terrence Clarke, who has not played since December 26.
In speaking with @UKCoachCalipari today he wanted to make it clear that Terrence Clarke is in pain & can not play Sat vs @Vol_Hoops Also said how frustrating 6 of the losses were as they had a chance to win all of them . Sat 8pm @ EST join @espnbob & me
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) February 5, 2021
Clarke remains sidelined with an injury
Clarke’s status has been one filled with confusion. He has been out since late December with an ankle injury and head coach John Calipari made some questionable comments about his freshman in regards to him still limping after so many weeks of recovery.
Calipari telling Dick Vitale that Clarke is still in pain seems to clarify he was not trying to throw his player under the bus. Ultimately, Clarke would be no good to the team if he can’t play at his normal level anyway.
The Wildcats not having Clarke is a huge blow given his status as a top recruit in the nation. But fans should also note Clarke’s absence may hurt his own draft stock, so claims he is refusing to play may be inappropriate.
The attention now turns to Saturday’s SEC matchup with Tennessee. Even with the 5-11 record, the Wildcats can get to 5-5 in conference play with a win. That would actually tie them with Tennessee, who enters with a No. 11 ranking.
The hope for Kentucky is Clarke returns at some point later this season and perhaps spurs a run to win the conference tournament, which would get the Wildcats into the NCAA Tournament.
Wildcats fans want to see Clarke live up to the hype. In the meantime, a win over Tennessee would help get this season back on track.