Cincinnati's Octavius Ellis returns to game vs. Kentucky

For the second game in a row, Cincinnati lost Octavius Ellis early.

On Saturday, at least it wasn't his fault, which allowed him to return for the second half.

Ellis left the team's Round of 32 game against Kentucky with 2:48 to play in the first half due to a lower back injury. The 6-foot-10 forward appeared to take a knee to the back from Willie Cauley-Stein as the Kentucky center came down from a dunk.

After feeling it out during a television timeout, Ellis remained unable to remove his hands from his lower back and headed to the locker room for evaluation.

Ellis joined the rest of his teammates on the court when Cincinnati kicked off the second half

Ellis had scored four points with three rebounds and a steal. As the team's leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker, he stands as the Bearcats' best chance of hanging in against Kentucky's formidable frontline.

Ellis also missed the end of Thursday's Round of 64 game after being ejected for a flagrant foul.