Andrew Carr injury update: Mark Pope offers newest timeline on return for Kentucky forward
Andrew Carr (back) was unavailable for No. 9 Kentucky during its 74-69 upset loss to unranked Vanderbilt on the road Saturday. Heading into a pivotal week in the Wildcats’ schedule, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope is labeling his veteran big man as “day-by-day” moving forward.
Following the defeat, Pope remarked, “I have probably done a horrible job with [Carr].” Because he is unable to accomplish so much with his back, we were observing a drop in his performance even though he really wants to participate. We were going in the wrong way.
“Injuries are difficult. These are very difficult calls. We are hopeful that during the next few days or weeks, we will be able to reach a point where we feel sufficiently confident. It is been a few weeks since he last practiced. And he gets so badly beaten in every game that he basically has to start over, finding it difficult to move.
Ansley Almonor took Carr’s place in the starting lineup. Carr averages 10.9 points per game for the Wildcats. After that, the senior forward finished the game with 12 points on 4 of 5 3-point attempts and 4 rebounds obtained.
After losing their previous two games, the Wildcats now sit at 14-5 on the season. By the time Kentucky has to go to No. 6 Tennessee on Tuesday, their AP Top 25 rating is probably going to have dropped significantly. This is all before the Arkansas Razorbacks, led by longtime UK head coach John Calipari, travel to Rupp Arena on Saturday for one of the most anticipated games of the 2024–25 season.
With further time, Pope added, “we are hopeful that we can get him to some sustainable point where he can endure a practice and endure a game and not be back to zero.” We will see if that materializes, though.
“It is difficult. You work with percentages. You are not working with assurances. We simply decided to give it a go, and we will sort of assess him on Monday and tomorrow.
