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Update: CJ Fredrick is warming up for Kentucky and has been cleared to play. Meanwhile, Sahvir Wheeler will miss his sixth straight game for the Wildcats.
CJ Fredrick warming up with the team with an hour until Kentucky vs. Auburn tipoff. Looks like he’ll at least attempt to go today
— Maggie Davis (@MaggieDavisTV) February 25, 2023
Sahvir Wheeler in street clothes pic.twitter.com/mpdoaa0Uvt
The Kentucky Wildcats are set to host to the Auburn Tigers at 4 p.m. ET this afternoon and the status of senior guards Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick is once again questionable heading into this late-season SEC showdown. Both contributors have missed time with respective injuries this month and they’ve been working to rejoin the Wildcats lineup in time for the postseason. Head coach John Calipari emphasized earlier this week that the team needed them both to be fully optimal for tournament season.
Fredrick has been dealing with a rib injury he suffered against Arkansas on February 7 and has missed the last four games for the Wildcats. He has been listed as day-to-day and reports earlier in the week indicated a possibility of him suiting up for today’s game. The Iowa transfer was averaging 7.3 points before the injury.
Wheeler has been battling an ankle injury and has missed the last five games for UK. He re-aggravated the injury during practice a week back and there’s some belief that he won’t be available until the start of the SEC Tournament at the earliest. He was averaging 7.7 points and 5.6 assists prior to going down.
Kentucky enters this contest as a 5.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook with the total installed at 141.