Kentucky's Epps expecting to play against Washington
(AP) — Kentucky guard Makayla Epps is not letting a little shoulder pain stop her from trying to give the Wildcats the happiest of homecomings.
Epps, a first-team all-Southeastern Conference performer, briefly left Kentucky's second-round victory Monday over Oklahoma with a sprained right shoulder.
Epps, who averages a team-high 16.6 points per game, said she's at "about 80" percent as she tries to lead Kentucky to its first Final Four appearance.
The Wildcats could earn that elusive Final Four bid without ever leaving Lexington.
NCAA rules prevent a team from being assigned to an arena where it played more than three regular-season games, not including conference tournaments.
Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell acknowledged the benefits of playing nearby while also noting his team lost at home to Dayton in last year's tournament and No. 2 seeds Maryland and Arizona State fell on their home floors last week.
The Huskies are 8-4 in true road games and 4-2 at neutral sites this season, which has enabled them to reach the regional semifinals for the first time since 2001.
The Wildcats are in the regional semifinals for the fourth time in the last five seasons.