Kentucky Loses Derek Anderson for Season Because of Knee Injury

Kentucky guard Derek Anderson, the leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference, will sit out the rest of the season because of an injury to his right knee, Coach Rick Pitino announced Monday night.

Anderson completely tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee and will undergo surgery.

Anderson is a fifth-year senior, which means his collegiate career is over.

“We’re extremely disappointed for Derek Anderson,” Pitino said in a statement. “He was having a fantastic senior season. Right now, we’ll just turn our attention to his rehabilitation.

“We expect him to make a full recovery in time for the NBA draft in June and we will do everything we can to make his dream of playing professional basketball a reality.”

Anderson injured the knee in the second half of the third-ranked Wildcats’ game against Auburn last Saturday. First believed to be only a bruise, the extent of the injury was found Monday.