KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ There was no definitive answer to the question dwarfing everything else at the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region on Thursday.
Will PJ Washington play for Kentucky against Houston in Friday night's semifinals?
Washington said he hoped to have an answer after going through a practice for the first time since spraining his left foot against Tennessee in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on March 16.
Washington joined his teammates in Thursday's practice. He seemed to move freely without any sign of a hindrance. In a warm-up jog back and forth across the court, he moved at the same speed as his teammates.
Washington, who is UK's leading scorer and rebounder plus its go-to guy when a play must be made, said he wants to play.
Speculation has Washington as the key player in UK fulfilling its postseason hopes. Earlier in the week, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said Kentucky was a Final Four-caliber team and national championship contender with Washington. The Cats were neither without Washington, Bilas said.
Washington and his teammates rejected this assessment. UK could win a national championship without Washington, he and they said.
Meanwhile, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson downplayed the possibility of Washington not playing Friday night.
"We've never seen Kentucky play with him or without him," he said. "We've never seen him play except on film. So, all the film we're watching is him with them. I haven't watched them without him. That doesn't factor in with us at all."
Guard Galen Robinson Jr. said Houston was preparing as if Washington will play.
"We're definitely anticipating that he's playing," he said. "We're preparing like he's a starting 4-man."
Teammate Corey Davis Jr. added, "Honestly, we're scouting them as a whole. If PJ plays, we know his tendencies. We know what he likes to do as an individual. So, I mean, it doesn't really affect our game. We're just focusing on the team as a whole and what we're going to do."
