KANSAS CITY — It’s become all about PJ Washington and his foot.

When Washington was a last-second addition to the podium alongside teammates Reid Travis and Keldon Johnson, it had to be a positive sign for the sprained left foot that has sidelined him for the first weekend of the NCAA tourney.

Surely, John Calipari wouldn’t let him go up and face the media music without legit info and real answers.

“Right now it’s up in the air,” Washington said.

“I’m thinking of giving it a go,” he added.

Just two days after having a cast removed from his left foot, there were more questions than answers. Washington hadn’t gone through a practice, but said the hope was that he’d see what he could do on Thursday afternoon. If all went well, he would play against Houston in the Sweet 16 on Friday night.

“He wants to play,” Calipari said. “We just don’t know yet.”

“I’m planning on seeing what I can do in practice,” Washington said. “I think that will probably depend on that whether I play or not.”

Calipari said the doctors have cleared him, but this is really up to Washington. He’s a tough kid, but admittedly said he’s dealing with a significant amount of pain. There’s also the thought of an NBA future and putting him out there before he’s ready.

It’s hard to imagine him taking the court against an athletic Houston group just three days after coming out of a cast. But it sounds as though Calipari will listen to Washington and his medical personnel. Then it will ultimately come down to how he looks on the court.

“The doc said, ‘You can’t hurt yourself,’” Calipari said.

“If he goes in and he’s 80 percent, then I won’t play him,” he added.

Washington gives Kentucky the ideal complement to Travis up front, a versatile big man who can score in a variety of ways and also facilitate for his teammates. The ‘Cats, simply put, have difficulty scoring without him on the court.

Calipari commonly spins the narrative, but in this case the narrative is real.

“If anybody in this tournament takes their best player off the court, they’re not going to be as good,” he asked.

He’s right. The 6-foot-8 forward has clearly been the Wildcats’ top player and one of the nation’s most dominant players the second half of the season. He’s averaging 14.8 points and 7.5 boards per game, but the numbers don’t tell the story.

When Washington began to impose his will and dominance, that’s when Kentucky’s season completely changed. They are a national title contender with Washington – a team that was a Fletcher Magee 3-pointer or two away from being knocked out of the tournament without him.

Can they match up with Houston’s athleticism without Washington? Sure, but the margin for error shrinks substantially. Just 30 or so minutes after Calipari was non-committal about whether Washington would practice on Thursday, his star was on the floor going through stretches and jogging with his teammates.

He looked fine, but it’s not the same as if he has to be defending this athletic Cougars team — one that is certain to target Washington in an effort to see whether he’s able to move well enough laterally, and also get up and down the court with the same speed and mobility.

“If PJ plays more than 15 or 18 minutes, I’d be stunned,” Calipari said. “If he doesn’t play at all, I would not be surprised.”

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