Arizona basketball: Kadeem Allen is feeling the effects of a lingering illness

It's yet another hurdle in Arizona's season-long battle through adversity

Not only did Kadeem Allen have the task of guarding the UCLA Bruins' talented guards in the Arizona Wildcats' comeback win on Friday night, but he had to play through adversity of his own in the process. No, it wasn't foul trouble, or a sore ankle. It's a lingering illness that's weakened him for nearly two weeks now.

"Kadeem threw up three times," Sean Miller said after Friday's game. "Once during the game, once after the game, and once before the game. He has virus that won’t go away and we’re working hard with him and the doctors are [too]."

Miller didn't clarify what the virus was, but simply put it this way: "I don’t know, but I certainly wouldn’t want it."

Understandably, Allen has been struggling while sick. Against UCLA, he was limited to just 21 minutes and went 0-3 from the floor while missing four free throws.

"We didn’t really have Kadeem, but he did the best he could," Miller said.

In his last three games, Allen is 2-11 from the field and has more turnovers than assists. Though the 21 minutes he did play versus UCLA is the most he's been on court since contracting the virus, so his condition is improving, at least.

"He says he’s starting to feel better, and we have him on antibiotics, but as you know, it takes time," Miller said. "While he’s doing that, he’s practicing or he’s playing, but he didn’t practice hardly at all, so we’ve been a disaster."

Unfortunately, the medicine Allen is taking has made him feel a bit uneasy.

"I think it was more of an upset stomach. The medicine is making him sick, but it’s going on day 12 right now," Miller said. "We always worry about safety and health. We’re not going to put anybody out there unless Justin [Kokoskie], our trainer, would take a look at him."

With Allen at less-than-full strength and Chance Comanche out with a concussion, it's put Arizona in a position it's all too familiar with this season -- playing short-handed.

"The injuries have continued," Miller said. "I mean we have not had, I don’t think, a full 48-hour period since October 13th where a player on our team hasn’t been injured."

For the most part, the team has handled it well this season. The Wildcats sit with a 20-5 record, and if they can beat the USC Trojans on Sunday, they will be tied atop the conference standings -- a remarkable feat with all things considered.

But they'll have to win that game with one of their better guards fighting through a pestering illness.

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