LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – Kentucky starting forward Alex Poythress will miss the rest of the season after tearing a knee ligament during practice in a devastating loss for the top-ranked Wildcats.
The 6-foot-8 junior tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the school said Thursday. A date for surgery has not been set, but recovery typically takes six to eight months.
Wildcats coach John Calipari called the injury “a big blow to our team. No one will be able to replace Alex and what he did for this team.”
Poythress started eight games for the Wildcats (10-0), who face North Carolina on Saturday in a major test. He averaged 5.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 20 minutes.
The muscular forward was shooting just 38 percent but leads the team at the foul line, making nearly 86 percent. He is third on the team in blocks and sixth in rebounding.
Pursuing a title was a key motivation for Poythress to return for a third season after last spring’s NCAA title-game loss to Connecticut.
Poythress and 7-foot Willie Cauley-Stein are the most experienced players on a 10-deep roster featuring nine Wildcats at least 6-6, leading Calipari to implement a two-platoon system. Poythress and Cauley-Stein are featured on the front cover of this year’s media guide.
This is the third straight season Kentucky has lost a key regular.
Last spring, Cauley-Stein missed the final three games of the run to the NCAA title game with an ankle injury. Forward Nerlens Noel tore an ACL in February 2013, an injury that ultimately led to Kentucky missing the NCAA tournament.
Freshman guards Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis missed Wednesday’s 56-46 victory over Columbia with unspecified injuries. Calipari said afterward he didn’t know if they would play against the Tar Heels.
“How they will respond I really don’t know,” Calipari said in a school statement. “But I will do my best to be there for each of these kids.”