Lamont Butler's injury seems to be more serious than previously thought

Kentucky could be without Lamont Butler for a while.

Jan 14, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) goes to the floor during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

It was a rough night for Kentucky fans as John Calipari returned to Rupp Arena, and his Arkansas team took down Kentucky 89-79, led by former Wildcat Adou Thiero.

The Rupp Arena crowd was incredible in this game, but a big second half from the Arkansas Razorbacks led them past the Wildcats.

Kentucky played without starting point guard Lamont Butler again on Saturday, who hasn't suited up since the Vanderbilt loss. Many thought Butler's injury wasn't going to be a long-term issue, but Mark Pope's postgame comments on the injury could change this thought.

Here is Coach Pope's postgame quote about Butler's injury, "I just don't know. I'm not sure. We are trying to just navigate the space. There's a lot to it because I'm not going to share because it's his stuff. We are trying to figure out how to proceed right now. We will see, I would tell you more, but we just really genuinely don't know yet. We'll figure out more in the next couple of weeks. I would assume, at some point, we are going to take another shot at this and see how it goes, and we will kind of play it by ear."

Verbiage is a way to read what a coach is saying about an injury, and Coach Pope's verbiage here talking about Butler's injury is concerning. It sounds like, best case scenario, Butler will miss the next few weeks. This injury is, without question, a bigger deal than many thought when Butler was ruled out against Tennessee.

This Kentucky team could be without its starting point guard for a while.