Lamont Butler

Kentucky point guard Lamont Butler looks over the defense in the first half of a loss at Vanderbilt on Jan. 25, 2025.

 ERIC CRAWFORD

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It will be a shorthanded Kentucky team that travels to Tennessee on Tuesday seeking to end a two-game losing streak.

Point guard Lamont Butler has been ruled out of the 7 p.m. contest in Knoxville. Butler struggled at times in Kentucky's loss to Vanderbilt, and finished the game with as many turnovers (six) as points (six). Meanwhile Andrew Carr, who sat out of the Vandy game with back problems, is listed as questionable on the SEC's mandated injury report.

It's a bad time for bad news for the Wildcats, who are looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2021.

Butler is averaging 13.2 points and 4.8 assists per game, but has dealt with shoulder and ankle injuries. He also leads the Wildcats with 1.8 steals per contest.

"Lamont is, he's got a lot right now," Pope said. "We all know what a warrior he is. And he is giving us everything he's got right now. But this, it's hard for him."

Carr averages 10.9 points per game and is the team's second-best offensive rebounder with two per contest. He's been plagued by a back injury and Pope sounded much less certain of his status on Saturday, though his injury listing leaves open the possibility that he could play.

"You know, I probably have done a bad job with Drew," Pope said. "He wants to play so bad and we're just kind of seeing a decline in his performance, because there's just so much he can't do with his back. We were trending the wrong direction, so what we're hoping, you know, it's like injuries are hard, like these calls are really hard. So what we're hoping is that we can get to a space sometime in the next few weeks, next few days, (a place) where we have enough confidence that – he hasn't practiced in a couple of weeks, and every game he just gets beat up so bad that he's back to Square One, where it's hard for him to walk essentially – and so we're hoping that with more time we can get him to some sustainable place where he can endure a practice and endure a game and not be back to zero, but we'll see. We'll see if that actually happens. It's complicated. You're dealing in percentages, you're not dealing in guarantees. And so we just thought we'd take a swing at this and we'll kind of gage him tomorrow, gauge him Monday and just kind it's by day with him for sure."

Andrew Carr and Lamont Butler

Andrew Carr greets Lamont Butler after a basket against Vanderbilt.

The game is pivotal for Kentucky, which was 5-0 against ranked opponents before a recent loss to Alabama. The Wildcats fell to No. 12 in the most recent AP poll Monday. Tennessee dropped to No. 8.

The Volunteers are a seasoned, physical team with a lock-down defense that held Auburn to just 53 points one game ago in what wound up as a two-point loss.

The teams have split their past 20 meetings evenly. Tennessee is listed as a 9.5-point favorite as of Monday night.

Tuesday's game will be broadcast by ESPN.

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