VAUGHT: Kentucky prepares for Arkansas with a second consecutive game without Travis

By LARRY VAUGHT

Reid Travis will miss his second straight game tonight with a sprained knee when Kentucky hosts Arkansas, which has lost five straight Southeastern Conference games.

Kentucky assistant coach Joel Justus said Travis is doing "great" dealing with his injury.

"He’s doing what he needs to do. I know that. He’s working," Justus said. "Once again, Reid Travis is the ultimate professional in terms of how he approaches every single day on the floor, off the floor. He’s attacking rehab right now the same way that he attacked his body in the summer, the same way that he attacked playing differently.

"He’s that guy now that’s got a different challenge ahead of him and that’s getting his body back to being 100 percent and ready to go whenever that time may be.”

Travis hurt his knee last Tuesday during UK's win at Missouri. Kentucky beat Auburn 80-53 without him on Saturday when EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards both got extended playing time in his absence.

"We can’t wait to have him back, but we worked hard. We knew other people had to step up and I think a lot of people did. We can’t wait for him to be back," redshirt freshman Jemarl Baker said Monday.

What's different without Travis?

“Toughness, physicality, another leader. But everybody has picked up what they needed to," Baker said. "We’re a really tough team, and we’re going to continue to be that.”