Mark Pope on Lamont Butler:

“We would like to get him back in a position where we have the best chance of not having another setback… He is going to be on the court in a non-contact situation today, and we will see how that feels.”

— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) February 6, 2025

While Pope isn’t rushing the process, the fact that Butler is back on the court. Even in a limited role, suggests he’s on track to return sooner rather than later. For now, Kentucky fans can take solace in the fact that Butler is moving in the right direction. Whenever it happens, his comeback could be the turning point the Wildcats need as they push through the second half of the season.

Mark Pope provides a detailed update on Kerr Kriisa’s lingering injury status

While Butler is edging closer towards returning, another Kentucky guard remains in limbo. Pope gave the first really detailed update in weeks on Kerr Kriisa’s status, and it doesn’t sound like he’s anywhere near playing game action.

Mark Pope on Kerr Kriisa through a tweet highlights, “He’s not doing much of anything active on the court yet but is doing much more active stuff in the weight room. the next step is to see what the response is and how quickly/if he can get over the soreness.”

Kriisa suffered a foot injury back on Dec. 7 versus Gonzaga and has undergone surgery since then. Initially, he might have been in line to return about six weeks later but now saw that time more than double without his ability to do much basketball activity in reality. Of course the problem isn’t only soreness but healing of bone which time will tell.