UK Basketball: PJ Washington battled injury in win over West Virginia

The Kentucky Wildcats scored a monster win at West Virginia, and they did so without PJ Washington doing much of anything.

The freshman forward has been a stud for the Cats this season, even carrying them to several wins. That includes Tuesday’s 78-65 win over Mississippi State, a game where Washington scored 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

That’s why it was a shock to see Kentucky win at West Virginia, despite Washington scoring just two points on 1-of-3 shooting with two rebounds, one block and two turnovers.

After the win, it was revealed that Washington is dealing with a knee contusion, according to John Clay. That led to the freshman remaining on the bench for much of the game.

It’s unclear how severe the injury is or if Washington made it worse by trying to play through the pain. Kentucky can probably afford to have him sit out Tuesday against Vanderbilt, but they’ll need him to play at Texas A&M next week to survive the Aggies’ stout frontline.

Prior to tonight, Washington has scored in double figures six times in the last seven games. In fact, three of Kentucky’s five losses have come when Washington failed to score in double figures. The Cats are also 10-1 when Washington scores 11-plus points.

It’s good to see Kentucky can still score big wins without Washington making an impact.

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