UK's Lyles likely out Tuesday, maybe longer

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari expects to be without freshman Trey Lyles again Tuesday night when the top-ranked Wildcats host Georgia – and maybe beyond.

Lyles, a 6-10 small forward, missed Saturday's win over Alabama due to an undisclosed illness. The former McDonald's All-American from Indianapolis has started seven games this season and averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.7 minutes per game.

"We don't believe he'll play Tuesday and don't know after that," Calipari said on Monday's Southeastern Conference teleconference. "But we're going to try to figure that out. We had to play without him (against the Tide) and I thought it was a great win without him. I mean, you're talking about a 6-10, talented, talented player, and we're playing without him now. I thought we played well without him, but we're never going to be as good without him, because he's a really good player."

Calipari did not elaborate on Lyles' condition and later in the day, just before UK's final pre-Georgia practice, assistant coach Barry Rohrssen said the Cats "don't fully know the extent of his illness." UK athletics spokesperson Deb Moore said the school is not releasing any further information on Lyles at this time.

While the Wildcats (21-0, 8-0 SEC) face that uncertainty, the Bulldogs (14-6, 5-3) could be without leading scorer and rebounder Marcus Thornton, who sat out Saturday's loss at South Carolina due to a concussion. Georgia had won five in a row before that.

As for Lyles, UK center Dakari Johnson said he wasn't at the team's Super Bowl party on Sunday and teammates haven't seen much of him lately – perhaps a move to keep the sick freshman quarantined from the rest of the roster. A handful of other players have already missed time this season due to illness.

"He's not allowed to be around us right now. Well, actually, I don't know. I haven't seen him today," guard Dominique Hawkins said Monday. "I saw him yesterday, but I don't think he's allowed to come to practice today."

However long Lyles is out, the Wildcats are will be without a small forward. Junior starter Alex Poythress was lost earlier this season to a torn ACL. The two-platoon system Calipari has used off and on this season is essentially impossible without Lyles, as the coach has not yet shown enough trust in 6-9 sophomore froward Derek Willis to play him major minutes. Willis did not get off the bench in UK's last game.

Hawkins, who started against the Tide, stands to gain the most playing time during Lyles' absence. Kentucky's three-guard lineups – featuring various combinations of twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Devin Booker, Tyler Ulis and Hawkins – have looked sharp this season. All but Hawkins, who is a former Kentucky Mr. Basketball, were McDonald's All-Americans. The Cats still have seven of those healthy and available.

"We miss length and athleticism with Trey (out). Rebounding, definitely, and also an offensive threat in the paint and on the corner jumpers," said Hawkins, who believes perimeter defense is one area Kentucky can make up some of the difference. "Whoever is dribbling the ball up the court, make them feel like the pressure's getting to them."

Johnson said in some ways, it's even possible the guard-heavy lineup "might help us." It's unquestionable, though, that the Cats are better equipped than most to absorb the loss of two projected NBA draft picks at various points in the same season.

"That's one thing coming into the season that looked like it could be a strength of ours," Rohrssen said of UK's depth. "We're fortunate right now where some other guys can make some contributions."

Hawkins hopes he is one of those. Known for aggressive defense, his offensive game has grown in his sophomore season. He's developed a reliable floater off the dribble and is becoming surer of his shot outside.

Whereas the Rupp Arena crowd used to scream for a trigger-shy Hawkins to shoot it as a freshman, he has attempted a 3-pointer in the first four minutes of each of his last four starts, sinking two of them.

"My teammates are telling me to shoot it, and when your teammates are telling you to shoot it, you're definitely going to get more comfortable with that," Hawkins said. "I remember last year (defenders) would just sag off of me and didn't play me at all, but now they cover me more. They probably watched some film and saw that I'm hitting my open shots.

"(Calipari) wants me to be able to have the confidence, hit the shots, so they're playing 5-on-5 and not four against five."

Earlier this season, during a stretch of nine games in which Hawkins only played three, he admitted to feeling frustrated, struggling with the feeling of being disconnected from his team. But now he's back in the fold, perhaps more critical to the Cats' success than ever before.

"I feel important – very important," Hawkins said. "I feel like I need to come out and play, give great energy like I've been doing. Everybody on the team's going to have to step up."

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.