With injury befalling Team USA, two recent Kentucky Wildcats are reportedly under consideration to be added to the Olympic roster for this summer’s games in London.Twenty finalists for the 12 spots on the final roster were announced in January, but five of those candidates have since been removed from contention, most recently Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard due to season-ending injuries. USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo announced plans to add one or two players to the preliminary roster and, according ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are both in contention:

“Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Sacramento Kings power forward DeMarcus Cousins, Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe and incoming Kentucky star Anthony Davis — widely regarded as a lock to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft — are among the young big men under consideration to be among the late additions Colangelo mentioned.”

With Howard out of commission due to a back injury, it stands to reason that Team USA would want to add a big man to help compensate for the loss of its primary center. Kevin Love, Chris Bosh, Tyson Chandler and Blake Griffin are the only players listed as forwards or centers among the remaining 15 finalists. Clearly, Cousins and Davis fit the bill, particularly considering that Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers, the most logical choice to replace Howard, already has announced plans to take the summer off. In his second year in the NBA, Cousins was among the most improved players in the league, averaging 19.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks after the All-Star Break. UK fans need no reminder of the potential impact the 19-year old Davis could make with his defensive prowess. He set the NCAA freshman record with 186 blocked shots en route to national player of the year and Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. The last player to play in the Olympics for Team USA before his first NBA season was Emeka Okafor of Connecticut in 2004. The last former Wildcat to play in the Olympics for Team USA was Tayshaun Prince in 2008.Obviously, nothing is even close to official, and even if it were, being named a finalist is no guarantee of making the final roster for either Davis or Cousins. Nonetheless, simply having their names mentioned in connection with Team USA is an honor for two players 21 years or younger.Link: U.S. likely to add to Olympic pool