March Madness: Kentucky star P.J. Washington has cast removed before Sweet 16

March 27 (UPI) -- Kentucky star P.J Washington appears to be headed back into the starting lineup after posting a video of himself walking without a cast Wednesday.

The sophomore forward has missed both of the Wildcats' wins in the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament due to a sprained left foot. He sustained the injury March 16 in the SEC tournament and was wearing a hard cast on the foot as he sat on the bench during the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

Kentucky's leading scorer and rebounder posted the looking eyes emoji over the video Wednesday on Twitter. The footage showed Washington walking down a hallway with no cast or brace on the injured foot.

Wildcats coach John Calipari retweeted the video, writing: "Uh oh" on his post. Washington is expected to be a first round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Speculation surrounded Washington and his injury as the team remained mum on his status throughout the tournament, with critics questioning if he was sitting out to protect his draft stock. Washington's father answered those critics during an interview with Kentucky.com.

"Tell people to just relax," Paul Washington said. "P.J. will play when his body says he can play."

Washington is averaging 14.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season.

No. 2 Kentucky faces No. 3 Houston in the Sweet 16 at 9:59 p.m. Friday at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The winner faces No. 1 North Carolina or No. 5 Auburn in the Elite Eight.