Kentucky vs Oakland March 21st injury report: Latest on Reed Sheppard, Trey Townsend and more 

Injuries might be a factor for both the Kentucky Wildcats and Oakland Golden Grizzlies going into their round of 64 matchup in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament.

The Wildcats (23-9, 13-5, 2nd in SEC) are seeded No. 3 in the South Regional against the 14th-seeded Golden Grizzlies. Oakland have gone 23-11 this season so far, dominating their conference. They won the regular season title (15-5, 1st in Horizon League) as well as the conference championship.

In the big dance, injuries could definitely hinder a team's chance of winning a crucial game post-season, especially if their star player is out for the remainder of the NCAA tournament.

Here's the latest injury update for both teams.

Kentucky vs Oakland injury report, March 21

Kentucky center Tre Mitchell has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury.

Tre Mitchell, Kentucky

6'9" Kentucky center Tre Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury against Ole Miss in February. He missed six games this season for the Wildcats. Kentucky are 4-2 in games without Mitchell this season.

In his last game, the Pittsburgh native dropped seven points and nine rebounds in Kentucky's 97-87 loss against Texas A&M in the quarter-finals of the 2024 SEC tournament.

He is currently averaging 10.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 26 games this season.

DJ Wagner experienced ankle issues this season.

DJ Wagner, Kentucky

DJ Wagner has experienced recurring injuries this season since tweaking his ankle against Miami (FL) in November 2023.

He missed 4 games this year against UNC-Wilmington, Florida, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. The Wildcats went 1-3 without him.

Reed Sheppard had an outstanding freshman year for the Wildcats

Reed Sheppard, Kentucky

Sheppard is expected to play against the Golden Grizzlies, barring any flare-ups.

In his first year with Kentucky, Reed Sheppard (12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists), Head Coach John Calipari counted on him to log valuable minutes for the Wildcats. Despite starting five times this season, Sheppard is averaging 29 minutes per game on the court as a freshman.

Rob Dillingham is expected to get drafted in the Top 5 of the 2024 NBA Draft if he declares.

Rob Dillingham, Kentucky

The 6'2" guard from Hickory, North Carolina, raised some concerns when he missed a game against Arkansas due to a stomach virus. However, that didn't slow Dillingham down, as he came back the next game against Florida and didn't miss another game for the Wildcats this season. He should feature against Oakland.

Trey Townsend has been the leader for this Oakland Golden Grizzlies squad.

Trey Townsend, Oakland

Townsend is expected to play heavy minutes for the Golden Grizzlies in one of their biggest games in school history against one of the bluebloods in college basketball.

He has been getting hit a lot in games while drawing fouls, taking a trip to the free throw line 5.9 times per game. The bumps he has taken on the court haven't slowed him down, as he has played at least 30 games every season.

The 6'6" forward won the 2024 Horizon Player of the Year and Horizon Tournament MVP after leading the Golden Grizzlies to a 23-11 record, winning both regular and conference tournament titles in the process.

Can Townsend lead Oakland to a first-round upset against Kentucky? Sound off in the comments section below.