Sahvir Wheeler expected to be available for Kentucky's NCAA Tournament game vs Providence

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Kentucky senior guard Sahvir Wheeler is expected to be cleared to play Friday in the team's first-round NCAA Tournament game against Providence.

Prior to the Wildcats’ practice Thursday afternoon at Greensboro Coliseum, Wheeler said he expects to be available.

Wheeler last played Feb. 4 against Florida but has missed more than a month with multiple injuries. A final decision on his status likely won't come until Friday's game, which will tip off at 7:10 p.m. He hasn’t been told if he will be on a minutes restriction.

“If I’m playing," he said, "I’m playing.

Wheeler returned to practice earlier this week and participated in Thursday’s session. But coach John Calipari said he won’t let Wheeler take the court Friday if he’s noticeably hobbled.

"He is trying his hardest, and he is doing great stuff, but I've got to really feel that he is going to be — maybe not 100%, but he can't be 80," Calipari said. "Not in a game like this."

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After UK’s home win over Florida last month, Wheeler missed the next six games with an ankle injury. He then sat out Kentucky’s Senior Night game versus Vanderbilt after undergoing surgery unrelated to the ankle injury. While he wasn’t in attendance, the Wildcats still recognized him during the pregame ceremony that honored the senior class.

Ellen Calipari, John’s wife, sported Wheeler’s No. 2 jersey and received raucous applause from the Rupp Arena crowd.

“They didn't have to do that,” Wheeler said. “The fact that they went out of their way to do that, I'm super appreciative. I wish I was there, but health comes first sometimes."

His recent time on the sideline has had benefits, however. Wheeler said he's noticed areas where the Wildcats can continue to improve offensively. And on defense, he's confident enough to make suggestions to the coaching staff.

"Sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't," he said with a laugh.

Spending so much of his senior season battling injuries, though, hasn't been a laughing matter. He conceded the past month especially has been "tough." But he never felt left out.

"I'm still able to watch practice, still able to go to games. That stuff has been getting me by," he said. "My teammates talking to me late nights — being able to just talk (about) things other than basketball — (kept) my mind off of things. It's been hard, obviously, not being on the court, but it's also been a great time as well."

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Wheeler is now focused on helping UK reach the Final Four for the first time since 2015, and in doing so, he'd play in front of friends and family in Houston, his hometown.

"That (would be) super cool, but sticking to one game at a time is where our head is at," he said. "I've been fortunate enough where my family has traveled to a lot of my games. … But to get to the Final Four and for them to be there? That'd be the icing on the cake."

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.