Jaylin Williams injury update: Latest on Auburn forward after abrupt exit vs Kentucky
Jaylin Williams, the forward for the Auburn Tigers, experienced a setback on Saturday, as his team succumbed to a 70-59 defeat to the Kentucky Wildcats, snapping their remarkable 16-game winning streak at home.
Furthermore, the team is concerned about Williams' knee injury, which occurred during a dunk attempt in the second half, adding to their list of challenges.
At the 10:50 mark of the second half, with the Wildcats leading 51-44, Williams received a backdoor pass from Aden Holloway and attempted a dunk over Kentucky's Ugonna Oyenso.
Unfortunately, Williams missed the dunk, and on replay, it was evident that he landed awkwardly on his knee, prompting him to leave the game prematurely.
During the post-game radio show, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl confirmed that Jaylin Williams had indeed sustained an injury and expressed his concern regarding its severity.
“Yeah, he’s hurt. He’s hurt. We don’t know what it’s going to be," said Pearl.
Additionally, Pearl noted that Williams is scheduled to undergo an MRI for a more precise evaluation of the injury, aiming to confirm his suspicion that the meniscus was affected during the play.
"We think he’s gonna have something … not just a bang," said Pearl. "We’ll do an MRI tomorrow.”
Kentucky Wildcats pull away after Jaylin Williams suffers knee injury
The Kentucky Wildcats capitalized on the absence of key player Jaylin Williams from the undermanned Auburn Tigers lineup.
Despite John Boone's double-double performance, the Tigers couldn't seize the lead, resulting in the end of their 16-game home winning streak at the Neville Arena.
Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara each scored 14 points, with Baker-Mazara perfect from the free-throw line while Denver Jones added 12 points. Despite a second-half push, Auburn struggled with 3-pointers, making only 4 of 22 attempts.
Jaylin Williams ended the night struggling from the field shooting only 1-of-5 before going out with the injury.
Antonio Reeves led Kentucky with 22 points along with five rebounds and three triples while Adou Theiro chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Auburn Tigers have five more games left this season, and they will have two road games next on their schedule on Feb. 24 and 28 against the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers.
There's no word if Jaylin Williams will be joining the team in the next game , so they may miss his contributions on the floor. This season, the fifth-year senior has averaged 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 3-pointers in 24.3 minutes of playing time.