Thankfully, Noah was back out on the court for warmups prior to the second half and was reportedly cleared to play, though Mark Pope opted to play it safe and hold the sophomore out.
After the game, Pope revealed that Noah was ready to go in the second half had he been needed.
“He’s tough as nails, right?” Pope said in a postgame interview with Tom Leach. “There was zero chance I was putting him back in this game. We need him to get healthy and feel better. And I think Trent…his arm could fall off…he’d be like, ‘Coach, I’m good. I’m good,’ which I love. I wish everybody were built the way Trent Noah is built. It’s so spectacular.”
Adding to the good injury news, Pope said Jaland Lowe, who remained out while recovering from a partially dislocated shoulder, could make his season debut Friday vs. Valparaiso.
“I think there’s a chance we might have a J-Lowe sighting Friday,” Pope told Leach. “We’ll see. I’m not guaranteeing. It’s going to depend on the next couple of days of practice.”
To run Pope’s offense effectively, Kentucky clearly needs either Lowe or Denzel Aberdeen, who played Tuesday night after recovering from a minor leg injury and was clearly UK’s best lead guard.