Arizona Wildcats point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright returned to practice this week following a high ankle sprain.
"We're taking it slow," head coach Sean Miller said during his weekly news conference. "He had some pain but the pain continues to improve. We allowed him to do a few competitive segments and it's important for us not to put him in harm's way or jeopardize his recovery."
Jackson-Cartwright suffered the injury during a November 30th win over Texas Southern. The 18th ranked Wildcats open Pac-12 play Friday night at California.
"We initially thought it would be more like eight weeks. That's far from the (case with Jackson-Cartwright) but whether it will be this weekend remains to be seen."
The injury has forced the Wildcats to use just seven scholarship players, as Allonzo Trier has yet to play with an eligibility issue.
"What you really hope happens is the development of team chemistry," Miller said. "It's been difficult to get a clear understanding of what that is because we've shuffled so many people around. We're not in a groove. We're not maybe where we want to be. But the flipside is if we get whole team back, they'll be further along and more confident than maybe otherwise they would have."
