Kentucky coach Mark Pope’s Wildcats have seen an upswing in form over the past few weeks, following their 85-80 win over the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday. The Wildcats have now won four consecutive games after their demoralizing loss to the Missouri Tigers at Rupp Arena two weeks ago.
Kentucky’s Injury Curse Hits at the Wrong Time
Just as their form has improved, the Wildcats have been hit with a wave of injuries to key players, leaving their roster light just as the SEC gauntlet begins, and at 13-6, they don’t have any margin for error.
Pope’s Kentucky has been battling injuries all season, with Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance missing significant game time, and the Wildcats’ form has suffered badly. There was reason for optimism when Lowe and Quaintance both made a return, and Pope’s fast-paced offense was in evidence against the Indiana Hoosiers and St. John’s Red Storm.
Just as Pope’s most impactful players got healthy, disaster struck once again when it was announced that Lowe would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. In addition, Quaintance has missed the last four games with swelling on his injured knee that kept him off the floor for the majority of the season.
Despite winning the last four games, Pope revealed during his postgame news conference after beating Texas that sophomore guard Kam Williams had broken his foot against the Longhorns, bemoaning his team’s injury luck.
“We all watched Kam walk off the floor, and that’s a gut punch,” Pope said. “You know, J-Lowe’s out, JQ’s out, Kam’s limping off the floor, and that was a moment where connectivity came in. Our guys were like, “Okay, the only thing we can do for Kam right now is go play and then we can cry with Kam in the locker room after.”
“That brings guys together. Kam’s foot’s broken, so he’ll be out. He’s just a beautiful kid, I thought he actually made some special plays tonight, and so we’re gonna get him back healthy as soon as we possibly can, but he’ll be out for a while, and it’s certainly a blow to us.”
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Williams had cut a niche for himself as one of Kentucky’s best threats from beyond the arc, going 8-for-10 from distance in a 26.0 point explosion against the Bellarmine Knights in December. He was shooting at 34.8% from 3-point range and averaging 6.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and one assist from the bench this season.
One bright spot for the Wildcats was sophomore guard Collin Chandler’s best game of the season against the Longhorns. He tallied 18.0 points, seven rebounds, and one assist to step into the breach with so many of his teammates ailing.
The Wildcats’ schedule does not get any easier, with tests against the No. 15 Vanderbilt Commodores, No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks, and No. 16 Florida Gators on the road to come that will test the depth of their roster to the limits.
