The Kentucky Wildcats can't catch a break on the injury front.
The latest player to go down is junior guard Dominique Hawkins, who injured his leg during the Cats' SEC opener against the Ole Miss Rebels. At first, it looked like Hawk may have injured his knee trying to defend an Ole Miss player driving to the rim, but he grabbed his ankle while writhing in pain before having to be helped to his feet.
Dominique Hawkins leaves the game with help from Marcus Lee and Alex Poythress. Hope @Dhawk_25 is ok. pic.twitter.com/2mG4JKwE4p
— Jennifer Palumbo (@JenNimePalumbo) January 3, 2016
Dominique Hawkins gets help off the court. Hope it's not serious. #Bbn pic.twitter.com/5GsM3MpmRO
— Matt Stone (@mattstonephotog) January 3, 2016
Hawkins then had to be carried by two teammates back to the locker room to be further examined as he could not put any weight on the ankle. It's far too early to tell what exactly the injury is or how long it may keep him out, but it doesn't look good.
The team has since ruled him out, though it came with about eight minutes to go and UK up 74-48, so don't read too much into that.
Dominique Hawkins will not return to the game with a left ankle injury.
— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 3, 2016
The EC Network broadcast team also announced that Hawkins had to be wheel-chaired back to the locker room, which is never a good sign.
We'll keep you posted as more information becomes available.