Kentucky sophomore forward PJ Washington did not play in the team's Thursday night 79-44 win over No. 15 seed Abilene Christian due to injury, and his sprained foot may not be fully healed by Saturday's second round game, either.

Coach John Calipari provided an injury report on the Wildcats star following the game. Calipari explained why Washington was in a cast as opposed to a boot, and laid out a tentative timeline on what the training staff hopes to accomplish before getting the first-team All-SEC performer back on the court.

"The options were the boot or a cast, and the cast would speed up the healing; so we said to put the cast on," said Calipari. "Whether they take it off tomorrow to check it, I don't know. If they don't, he won't play Saturday, and they'll probably try to take it off Tuesday or Wednesday of next week to see how his foot feels.

"Everything was negative as far as the x-rays, but it was a sprained foot. They just want to keep it calm, and so that's what it is."

Based off Calipari's comments, a report from Kentucky.com's John Clay, and informed speculation from TNT's Charles Barkley, all signs point to Washington being sidelined for Saturday at the very least.

The No. 2 seed Kentucky had no issues strutting to a win without Washington in its Midwest regional opener, but not every game moving forward will be as winnable. If the Wildcats can advance to the Sweet 16 by defeating either Wofford or Seton Hall on Saturday, it seems the odds of Washington returning for a run at the title are improved the further he can distance himself from the injury.