Feb 4, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Andrija Jelavic (4) shoots the ball during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Andrija Jelavic sounds off on Kentucky's 'fatigue' issues

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Mar 9, 2026 9:57 AM ET

Kentucky has dealt with injuries this season, and Coach Mark Pope has talked a lot about how fatigue is killing this team. This quote has annoyed fans because while Kentucky is without some key pieces to this roster, they are still running a nine-player rotation. Florida, for example, for the most part, is only playing eight players in their rotation.

After the Wildcats lost to the Gators on Saturday, Kentucky forward Andrija Jelavic was asked about this team's fatigue, and his quote was quite eye-opening. Here is what Jelavic had to say: “I don’t think that's the problem. I mean, we are all like 19-21 kids, so we don’t have problems. I mean if you want to play, if you can’t play two games in a week, everyone wants to play in the NBA, so if you can’t play two games a week here, you can’t do it at the next level. So, it’s just not for you if you can’t do it.”

Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The reality of this quote from Jelavic is that he is exactly right. Some NBA teams have to play five games a week, so these college-age players should be able to play two games in a week. Now, if Kentucky is going to win the SEC Tournament in Nashville this week, they will have to win five straight games in five days. No one has a ton of confidence that the Wildcats will be able to get this done.

In the big dance, there are not back-to-back games as teams have a day off to prepare for the next round, so fatigue shouldn’t be a massive issue for Kentucky when the NCAA Tournament rolls around in a few days. Things have not gone well for the Wildcats when it comes to staying healthy this season, but the fatigue is not a good excuse for Coach Pope to use.

Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

It will be very interesting to see what this team is able to do in the postseason. Kentucky has been an up and down team all year, but when they are at their best, this team can beat just about anyone. It is hard to see this team making it deep in the SEC Tournament just due to the fact that they would have to win so many games in a row, and the Wildcats have been very inconsistent.

I do see Kentucky making it to Friday in the SEC Tournament, but I don’t see them beating the Florida Gators. This Florida team is going to run through the SEC Tournament once again, and frankly, perhaps even the NCAA Tournament. It’s hard to beat a team three times, but Kentucky would have to play its best game of the season to beat Florida, and this is assuming they beat LSU and Missouri to get there.

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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