PJ Washington 'Just Suffered Through' Foot Injury in Return vs. Houston

Kentucky Wildcats leading scorer PJ Washington said he's still dealing with pain from a foot injury but "just suffered through it" in the team's 62-58 Sweet 16 victory over the Houston Cougars on Friday night.

Washington tallied 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with two rebounds, an assist and a block in 26 minutes. It marked his first appearance for UK since the team's loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the SEC tournament semifinals March 16.

"It kind of started hurting in the second half, but I just suffered through it," he told reporters. "I'm definitely going back to get some treatment after this and get a good night's sleep."

Washington has been the Cats' most versatile threat throughout the season. Along with leading the team in scoring (14.8 PPG) and rebounding (7.4 RPG), he also averaged 1.2 blocks and shot 52 percent from the field, including 41.9 percent from three.

PJ Washington Throws it Down

The sophomore forward sat out Kentucky's wins over the Abilene Christian Wildcats and Wofford Terriers during the first week of March Madness.

"How we got through last weekend without him, I have no idea," head coach John Calipari said. "If you take the best player off any team in the NCAA tournament, you're not going to be the same. We just happened to survive.''

Now the question is whether he'll be effective on short rest.

PJ Washington with the Strong Finish

The Wildcats return to action Sunday afternoon for an Elite Eight clash with the SEC rival Auburn Tigers. UK won both meetings during the regular season, with Washington scoring a combined 37 points.

Auburn has been on a roll since the teams last faced off Feb. 23. The Tigers have won 11 straight, highlighted by taking home the SEC tournament title. Two victories over Tennessee as well as triumphs over the Florida Gators, Kansas Jayhawks and North Carolina Tar Heels headline the hot streak.

It'll be an uphill battle for Kentucky to end Auburn's run if Washington is too far below full strength.