Terrence Clarke out against Mississippi State

The Kentucky Wildcats are searching for their first win since November, and they have a chance of getting it tonight in Starkville as they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Ben Howland’s team is 6-3 on the season and 1-0 in the conference. They opened SEC play with a 83-73 win over the previously undefeated Georgia Bulldogs, so this isn’t some easy game that Kentucky fans can expect to emerge from with a victory.

One of the main questions is who won’t be available for the Cats tonight.

Well, news is breaking that freshman guard Terrence Clarke will not play due to a right ankle injury.

Clarke played through an ankle injury at Louisville last week and was clearly severely limited by the ankle. He initially suffered the injury against North Carolina.

It’s not a real surprise Clarke is out tonight after he didn’t practice at all this week. His absence leaves the bulk of the guard work to Devin Askew and Davion Mintz.

Although Clarke hasn’t played particularly well outside of the Kansas game, his absence will be felt in terms of rotation and getting guys a break on the bench. This does mean we should see Dontaie Allen get significant minutes after being used very little so far this season.

In addition, Keion Brooks Jr. is set to miss yet another game with his mysterious calf injury. It was thought that Brooks would be back right before or at least in time for conference play. But he still hasn’t been cleared and there is no indication that he will be playing anytime soon.

Cam’Ron Fletcher just rejoined the team this week but don’t expect him to see any clock. Earlier this week, John Calipari told the media that Fletcher was unlikely to play in Starkville as he works his way back into the good graces of his coaches and teammates.