Kentucky Basketball: Wildcats Guard Jon Hood Suffers Torn ACL

In the duration of a week, the nation's top-two teams for 2011 were each dealt significant blows.

First, came the news that North Carolina guard Leslie McDonald tore his ACL in a pro-am game. Now, reports are surfacing that Kentucky guard Jon Hood has suffered a similar fate, tearing his ACL while playing in a pickup game.

The University of Kentucky issued the following statement via Twitter:

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UK men’s basketball junior guard Jon Hood suffered a torn right ACL playing in a pick-up basketball game on Monday. Hood's surgery will be scheduled once the inflammation subsides and there is no timetable on his return at this time.

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It is unclear as to how long Hood's recovery will take, but, like McDonald, he will almost certainly miss the entirety of the upcoming season.

Hood, a 6'7" wing player from Madisonville, was looking to finally break through and make a significant contribution on this year's squad, after having played only a total of 232 minutes in his first two seasons at Kentucky.

From the outside looking in, the loss of Hood would not appear to be monumental, but it does signify a loss of experience and depth—two areas that were already a cause for substantial concern for this year's team.

Coach John Calipari highlighted this fact on Twitter:

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This is a tough blow 4 both Jon & our team. Veteran leadership on a young team is irreplaceable but Jon will use this 2 come back stronger.

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Without him, Kentucky is left with just four true wing players on the roster—Darius Miller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doron Lamb and Stacey Poole.

This likely means that Poole will have to step up and become a consistent contributor for the Wildcats, despite having played only 45 minutes in his first season at Kentucky.

For more news and analysis on all things UK, follow me on Twitter @KYSportsBuzz.