Andrija Jelavic says teammates can’t act “childish” and that conditioning is not an issue

· Yahoo Sports

Kentucky Basketball’s regular season ended Saturday with another difficult result, falling to Florida with a potential double bye in the SEC Tournament on the line. Instead, the Wildcats will now open the tournament on Wednesday, marking the first time in program history that Kentucky will play on the opening day of the SEC Tournament.

The loss also continued a season-long theme for this Kentucky team. Injuries and roster limitations have played a significant role in the Wildcats’ highs and lows throughout the year.

Visit lej.life for more information.

Mark Pope has dealt with several key absences late in the season. Kam Williams, Jaland Lowe, and Jayden Quaintance are all currently sidelined with injuries, leaving Kentucky with a shortened rotation as the regular season comes to a close.

Following Kentucky’s loss at Texas A&M earlier in the week, Pope continued to mention fatigue as a concern for his team. He reiterated that point again after Saturday’s loss, noting that the Wildcats are asking a lot from a limited group of available players and that they will need more production from the bench.

However, the fatigue explanation raises questions.

Most teams at this level operate with around an eight-man rotation, especially late in the season. Kentucky entered this stretch with nine scholarship players available, which on paper should be enough to manage minutes. Florida, the team that handed Kentucky its loss Saturday, only played eight players.

Because of that, it leaves some wondering why fatigue has become such a consistent topic around this Kentucky team.

After the game, at least one player pushed back on the idea.

When asked about fatigue following the loss to Florida, Andrija Jelavic offered a direct response.

“No. It’s not. Everyone plays at the same pace that we do. Everyone plays Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, that’s not the problem,” Jelavic said.

“We are all 19-to-21-year-old kids. We don’t have problems with playing a lot. If you can’t play two games in a week, you can’t play in the NBA. If you can’t do it here, you can’t do it at the next level,” he added.

Jelavic also appeared to call out some of his teammates with his comments on how the team gets so “disconnected” on the court.

“Some guys don’t touch the ball for 2-3 minutes, and they just need to be mature, not be childish, know the game will come to them, and not force it,” said Jelavic.

While Kentucky has clearly dealt with injuries and a shortened roster throughout the season, Jelavic’s comments suggest the Wildcats believe their struggles stem from something deeper than simply tired legs.

With postseason play beginning Wednesday in Nashville, Kentucky will have little time to regroup as they try to reset and make a run in the SEC Tournament.

Read full story at source