With PJ Washington watching from the bench, the Kentucky Wildcats began its journey toward a possible ninth NCAA title with a convincing 79-44 win over Abilene Christian on Thursday night in first-round action in the Midwest Regional at Jacksonville’s Veterans Memorial Arena.
Washington, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, injured his left foot in last week’s SEC Conference Tournament semi-final loss to Tennessee and has not practiced in several days. UK Coach John Calipari has referred to the injury as a “sprain” and the sophomore All-American sat out on Thursday as a precautionary measure.