The Cleveland State Vikings could be without starting point guard Charlie Lee (knee) and Devon Long (ankle) when they travel to No. 4 Kentucky on Monday night.
Lee twisted his knee and Long twisted his ankle in the Vikings' 87-74 victory over Robert Morris on Saturday.
"We can't afford to lose (Charlie)," said CSU head coach Gary Waters.
Kentucky, the winningest program in college basketball history with 2,115 wins, features seven former McDonald's High School All-Americans. They are averaging 89.6 points per game.
"They have a couple of guys inside that are men," said Waters. "They come after you physically. Their physicality is unbelievable."
A key for the Vikings will be to keep the Wildcats off the glass. They are averaging 49 boards a game and have been out-rebounding its opponents by nearly 19 boards.
UK has a clear height advantage over the Vikings with six players over 6-8. The Vikings only have two players over 6-8 (Anton Grady and Ismaila Dauda).
The Vikings will have to keep a body on UK's 6-9, 250-pound freshman forward Julius Randle who has a double-double in every game this year. Randle, who is averaging 20.8 points and 13.6 rebounds, is rated the No. 2 NBA prospect in this year's draft by ESPN's draft guru Chad Ford.
Waters thinks that CSU could have an advantage with their smaller, quicker guards.
"I think if Charlie is okay we will stay with them guard wise," said Waters."I think we will cause them problems."
If the Vikings are going to have a chance at an upset their guards are going to have to make some shots.
They have three guards that are averaging in double-figures led by Bryn Forbes, who is averaging 19.6 points per game. The others are Lee (12.8 points) and Trey Lewis (12.6).
Tipoff is 7 p.m. SportsTime Ohio will televise the game locally.
Ndaye to have surgery: Senior forward Ludovic Ndaye will have shoulder surgery on Wednesday.
Ndaye, a native of Montreal, Quebec, injured his shoulder in a scrimmage against Central Michigan and has not played in a game this season.
"We're hoping he will be back by Mid-January," Waters said.
The 6-9 Ndaye averaged three points and two rebounds a game last season as a junior.
Junior point guard Charlie Lee (knee) and Devon Long (ankle) suffered injuries against Robert Morris and are questionable for Monday's game at No. 4 Kentucky.
"We can't afford to lose (Charlie)," said Waters.
Vikings sign two: CSU signed Terrell Hales and Jonothan Janssen during the early signing period last week.
Hales, a 6-3 guard from Detroit, can play the one, two or three. He averaged 11 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two blocks last season as a junior for Frederic Douglass High School.
"He's going to be one of our better defenders in our program," said Waters.
Janssen, a 6-9 forward from Australia, can play either the four or five. He's prepping this semester at Mt. Zion Prep in Baltimore.
"He can really shoot the basketball for a post guy," said Waters. "When you watch him you will think he's a seven-footer."