No. 17 Kentucky needs to cut critical errors late

Kentucky has had a couple of games that were clunker losses this season.

Kentucky hasn’t suffered a meltdown in the waning minutes like it did at Texas on Saturday night.

The Wildcats had a turnover late just trying to inbound the basketball, and a five point lead with under four minutes left vanished. The Longhorns used a 12-1 run late to grab the win from Kentucky.

Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson were out of action with injuries, but their absences didn’t cause the fundamental errors in the last three minutes.

“We’re just not spending any time on that,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said of missing players being an excuse for this loss. “We have really good players. Travis Perry stepped up and really battled like crazy tonight and Trent Noah is doing unbelievable work.

“We were good enough to win for 36 minutes tonight, and we’ll get good enough to win in the last four.”

No. 17 Kentucky is down to its last six games of the regular season, is sitting at 17-8, 6-6 in a very stout Southeastern Conference.

The Wildcats were to return to Rupp Arena on Wednesday to see if they can manage a split with Vanderbilt. The Commodores beat Kentucky 74-69 back on Jan. 25 in Nashville. Kentucky then visits No. 2 Alabama on Saturday in Tuscaloosa (TV: Live on ESPN at 6 p.m.)

The Wildcats will likely be without Butler and Robinson again. Kerr Kriisa has been out since December with a foot injury.

Perry got his first career start at Texas, and the freshman is now the fourth guy to play point guard for the Wildcats this season.

Kentucky has been mixing and matching lineups since all these injuries have happened.

Kriisa can qualify for a medical redshirt, Pope said on his radio coaches show Monday. “Right now he’s anxiously trying to get back into this thing and recovery has probably been a little slower than any of us would like.”

Pope also had medical updates on Butler and Robinson.

“Lamont is moving pretty well,” Pope said. “It’s a matter of how far along does he have to get before he can take a hit in a live game.”

Pope indicated Butler’s prognosis is a “guessing game,” but the coach hopes to have Butler in live practice in the next week.

Robinson has yet to do anything with his right hand, and has actually started shooting left handed.

For Kentucky to survive with its makeshift lineups, the veteran guys who are on the floor have to perform to the end of the game, and they have to play smart basketball.

There is no room for error with the Wildcats as they move toward the stretch run of the regular season.