FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas senior center Delvon Johnson suffered a hip pointer at Alabama last Saturday night, but Razorbacks Coach John Pelphrey said Johnson is “probable” to play against No. 22 Kentucky on Wednesday night at Walton Arena.
“I would say that a normal human being having that injury would not play,” Pelphrey said. “But Delvon Johnson, with who he is, his toughness, with the way that he handles injuries.... I think he’ll be out there.”
Pelphrey said that he’s not sure how much Johnson will be able to practice today.
“So we’ll just have to wait and see,” Pelphrey said. “He was hurting really bad.”
Johnson was injured going for a rebound in the final seconds of the first half, Pelphrey said, but he played six minutes in the second half. He played 20 minutes overall in the Razorbacks’ 69-56 loss to the Crimson Tide and finished with 3 points, 2 rebounds and 1 blocked shot.
“Very courageous on his behalf,” Pelphrey said of Johnson playing in the second half. “Then he kind of hurt it again.”
Johnson, 6-9, is averaging 9.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots in 28.2 minutes per game. He and junior guard Rotnei Clarke are the only Razorbacks to start all 26 games this season.
Sports, Pages 18 on 02/22/2011