INDIANAPOLIS — Willie Cauley-Stein wasn’t about to let anything separate him from his team, not in this moment.Cauley-Stein was on the bench for UK’s heart-stopping Elite Eight win over Michigan. He needed crutches to move around, but he wasn’t your typical bench bystander.The sophomore forward put his own unique spin on “street clothes,” wearing the same road blue jersey as his teammates over his hooded sweatshirt. When the Wildcats made a big play, he celebrated. When they took the stage to receive the Midwest Regional trophy, he was right there with them. Likely to his doctor’s chagrin, Cauley-Stein even got in on the jubilant dog pile after the buzzer sounded.”I jumped on one leg,” said Cauley-Stein, who captured the experience with a handheld camera. “I just had to improvise, you know what I’m saying? I felt like a pogo stick.”Cauley-Stein made his presence felt even before tip-off, and as much more than just a symbolic “Win For Willie” figure.He spoke to his team before and during the game, encouraging the Wildcats to keep playing their game even though he wouldn’t be there to play it with them.”He’s been real vocal,” Alex Poythress said. “He’s still trying to be vocal. He’s one of our leaders here so he’s just trying to help us the best he can.” He was particularly vocal with Marcus Lee, the freshman who stepped in with Cauley-Stein sidelined. With his help, Lee surprised everyone but John Calipari and had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in UK’s 75-72 victory.”He was always trying to give me pointers and tips and coach me through the games, through the practices as we went,” Lee said. “He was always on my shoulder trying to tell me what to do, which was great.”Cauley-Stein spoke before the Southeastern Conference Tournament about never having won anything substantial in his career as a basketball player. UK is now just two victories away from a national championship — about as significant at it gets in college basketball — which you’d think might lead to some disappointment on the part of Cauley-Stein since he might not be able to be on the floor for that.If those emotions are there, Cauley-Stein isn’t letting on.”Right now he’s still getting through that injury and he’s not even thinking about it,” Lee said. “He told us, he was like, ‘I totally forgot my ankle hurt.’ He was just running up and down the court. So it was really great having him.”It would be even better having Cauley-Stein — owner of 106 of UK’s 230 blocks on the season — on the floor.UK, after allowing 1.08 points per possession as Cauley-Stein was limited to just four minutes against U of L, yielded a season-high 1.26 to the high-powered Wolverines. Even though they advanced, the Cats missed Cauley-Stein’s rim protection and ability to switch onto quick perimeter players.Now, as UK prepares for a Final Four matchup with Wisconsin at approximately 8:49 p.m. ET on Saturday, Cauley-Stein is going to work to get back in full uniform.”I really don’t know,” Cauley-Stein said, asked of his status for the weekend. “I hope so. I really hope so. I’m going to go back to Lexington and get a bunch of treatment, a lot of ice and maybe, just maybe, this weekend I’ll be able to suit up or something.”Whether he’s able to or not, you can be sure Cauley-Stein will be on the bench with his teammates in AT&T Stadium.”It’s sad that he’s hurt, but he’s still a part of this team,” Poythress said. “We’re not going to leave him out. If he wants to jump in the dog pile he can. If he wants to run sprints with us this week, he can hop in. We’re just happy he can share this moment with us.”