Terrence Clarke banged up and doesn’t start vs. Louisville

On Christmas Eve, John Calipari spoke about having some guys banged up. However, he did not mention any times.

Friday night, KSR reported that the unnamed injured player was, in fact, Terrence Clarke.

Now, the good news is Clarke is now expected to play today vs. the Louisville Cardinals (he’s taking part in pregame warmups), but the bad news is he won’t start, as Devin Askew has replaced him in the starting lineup.

Clarke has been moved into the lead guard position, and while still struggling at times, the offense has looked better with him in that role. He turned his ankle last Saturday against he North Carolina Tar Heels, and has apparently been wearing a boot and has practiced very little this week. There was serious concern as to whether or not he would be able to play today against Louisville.

But early this morning, the official Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball Instagram page had videos that included Clarke, boot free, in a morning shoot around.

While today’s game seems like a real crap shoot between Louisville’s injuries and Kentucky’s schizophrenic offense, Kentucky would really suffer if Clarke was unable to play.

At times, he has looked like the star he was expected to be coming into the season. And the offense definitely flows better with him running the point.

Even though it appears he will play today vs. the Cards, it is unclear what Clarke’s role will be. Is he able to play his normal 34 minutes? Will he be as effective on both ends of the court? The Wildcats certainly need him to be, and his performance may end up being the difference in the game.

For more information about the early reports of Clarke’s injury, go over to KSR and check out the original scoop.

Go Cats!