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Freshman walk-on Sam Malone tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Saturday against Chattanooga, head coach John Calipari announced Tuesday.

"Losing Sam Malone to an ACL injury is heartbreaking," John Calipari said in a story posted to Coachcal.com. "Sam has been a great teammate and an even better person. You never want to hear someone is injured, but for Sam to go through his fourth knee injury is especially tough because he's worked so hard to get where he is. He has become a valuable member of our team and quickly became a fan favorite. We look forward to Sam making a full recovery."

Malone battled through a series of knee injuries in high school including a torn meniscus and torn ACL and underwent microfracture surgery during his senior year.

Malone quickly became a fan favorite with True Blue Fans for his willingness to try to score late in Wildcats wins. He appeared in six games this season, notching six points, including four points in his debut against Marist.

Malone is the second UK player to tear an ACL this year. Junior guard Jon Hood tore an ACL in July and has not played this season.