No. 4 Kentucky took care of business against Missouri on Tuesday night, but that wasn’t the storyline following the game.
Instead, all attention was on senior forward Reid Travis. In the second half of the win, Kentucky freshman Keldon Johnson tumbled to the ground and rolled in to Travis’ legs, causing his right knee to buckle.
Travis remained in the game for two more possessions before leaving the game for good.
According to Kentucky, the 6-foot-8, 238-pound forward is now expected to miss two weeks but return in time for the SEC Tournament. If all goes well, Travis could even return before that. But he’s expected to be on the bench still when the Vols host the Wildcats for a rematch on March 2nd.
“I just feel so good that it was more of a sprain than anything else because you just get worried about that stuff when you see someone go down,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said on his radio show on Wednesday night per 247Sports. “We are going to be very conservative with this, so he may be out a couple weeks.
“We hope he will be ready for around the conference tournament or maybe even a little bit before, but I’m happy for Reid that we’re going to get him back.”
Travis is a graduate transfer from Stanford who joined the Wildcats this past offseason. He was a two-time All-Pac 12 First Team selection in his final two seasons with Sanford. This season, Travis is averaging 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds. He is shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and has started in all but three games this season.
Against Tennessee this past Saturday, Travis scored 11 points in 33 minutes in Kentucky’s 86-69 victory over the Vols. He was just 2-of-4 from the field, but he shot 7-of-10 from the free throw line. Travis added eight rebounds, two blocks, and an assist. His post presence was also a big reason why the Vols only scored 20 points in the paint against Kentucky.
This season, Travis has scored in double figures in 14 of the 26 games he’s played for the Wildcats, and he’s recorded two double-doubles. He’s second on the team in rebounds per game and fourth in scoring.
With the injury, Travis is doubtful to play against Tennessee when Kentucky comes to Knoxville on March 2nd for the rematch. Tip-off next Saturday is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
