When we last saw Patrick Patterson, he was writhing in pain on the Rupp Arena floor after suffering a sprained ankle in the Cats’ Tuesday victory over Florida.

The injury overshadowed a frustrating effort early in the game from Patterson. He was often double- or triple-teamed when he received the ball around the basket. Before the injury, the sophomore had only scored seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.

His only basket in the second half of the Florida game came on UK’s first possession, on a play when he was also called for an offensive foul. It was that kind of game for Patterson.

The preseason All-SEC choice was visibly frustrated. After all, who could blame him?

Jodie Meeks has gotten the vast majority of the attention this season after breaking the single-game scoring record, scoring at least 45 points on three different occasions. Meeks is on pace to finish the season with the third best points-per-game average in Cats history — and the best by someone other than Dan Issel.

Patterson has had a pretty remarkable season of his own. He’s averaging 17.8 points and 9.1 rebounds through 24 games. But recent games have seen opponents throw their best defenses at Patterson in an effort to stop one head of the two-headed UK monster.

Fast-forward to Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.: Patterson was on the bench, hobbled with his sprained ankle. The Cats would be without their big man for the first time this season, facing a struggling Arkansas team on a mission to prove its relevance.

Meeks made sure to quiet the rowdy Bud Walton Arena crowd in Patterson’s absence. He went for 45, and the Cats won 79-63.

After the victory in Arkansas Saturday, you have to wonder if the injury to Patterson wasn’t just what the Cats needed.

“You define your legacy when you face adversity,” UK head coach Billy Gillispie said. “I really believe we faced it and overcame it today.”

While Meeks’ outburst was the key to the victory, it overshadowed an emerging trend over the past two games for UK. Its role players are finally doing just that: fulfilling their roles.

Immediately after Meeks scored UK’s first seven points, junior Michael Porter hit two straight 3-balls to force the Razorback defense to guard him — and take some of the pressure off Meeks. Porter is now 6-of-12 from behind the 3-point arc over the last three games.

After junior Kevin Galloway filled up the stat sheet with six points, eight rebounds and nine assists against Florida, junior Ramon Harris contributed a similar effort with seven points, nine rebounds and five assists against Arkansas.

Sophomore Josh Harrellson contributed 11 points to the heart-stopping victory against the Gators, and freshman Darius Miller chipped in with eight points and six rebounds against Arkansas.

The Cats can’t reach their full potential without Patterson on the floor. The improved performances of the UK role players are impressive, but Patterson is essential to the Cats’ success.

In an offense where the first, second and third goals are getting Patterson or Meeks an open shot, UK needs its role players to do their jobs.

“The best shot we can get is a layup, and we need to make sure we get Patrick and Jodie their touches,” Miller said after the Cats’ loss to Mississippi State on Feb. 3. “It’s not up to us to come down and shoot every time we’re open. We can get that shot anytime we want, so we try to work through our offense and get Patrick and Jodie some touches.”

Without Patterson Saturday, the UK role players were forced to take a more demonstrative role in the offense. If that improved play carries over when Patterson returns to the lineup, the Cats will be a hard team to stop in the coming weeks.

Patterson’s timetable for return is unclear. He may be available for Tuesday’s game at Vanderbilt to help the Cats try to avenge their 41-point drubbing in Memorial Gym last season. If he doesn’t return and the Cats can steal one more win with him on the bench, their outlook for the rest of the season will be even brighter.

When Patterson returns, he won’t have any reason to be frustrated anymore.