Jaland Lowe injury update: Mark Pope offers latest on status after Bellarmine game

Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe didn’t play in the Wildcats’ 99-85 win over Bellarmine on Tuesday due to his lingering shoulder injury. After the game, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope provided an update on Lowe’s condition.

“Soreness, just a little bit of pain, so we made the calculated decision to [sit him]. When he steps on the floor, I’d like for him to be at full strength,” Pope said. “I think that’s going to be important for us moving forward.

“I expect him to play every game, but this was just an opportunity for us to maybe let him heal up a little bit more, especially with a break coming up now for a few days. We’re able to stack. Sometimes there’s a big difference between 48 hours and 96 hours or 120 hours. So, we’re just trying to buy him a little bit of extra time to try to heal fully.”

Lowe will have an extended break to allow his shoulder to recover. Kentucky doesn’t play again until Jan. 3 when they square off against Alabama and officially begin conference play.

Lowe has missed seven of Kentucky’s 13 games this season. The Pittsburgh transfer suffered a dislocated shoulder in the Wildcats’ preseason Blue-White scrimmage.

Instead of undergoing season-ending surgery, Lowe has intermittently played for Kentucky. Notably, the star point guard took the court in Kentucky’s showdown against St. John’s on Saturday.

Lowe was in the game for just seven seconds before dislocating his shoulder again. He immediately ran to the locker room to be examined by Kentucky’s medical staff. Lowe returned in the second half for the Wildcats and made a massive impact.

Kentucky trailed St. John’s by seven at halftime, but ultimately won the game in convincing 78-66 fashion. In the win, Lowe tallied 13 points, three rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes of action. More impressive, Lowe recorded a team-high +/- of +20.

Kentucky’s offense was noticeably improved with Lowe on the court. The Wildcats exploded for 53 points in the second half of the win, while only notching 25 points in the first. After the win, Mark Pope raved about Jaland Lowe’s toughness.

“J Lowe has been petitioning to only be a game player, just free throws in practice, or maybe I’ve been petitioning for that,” Pope said. “So we’ll continue to just proceed with caution with him. But he’s just so tough.

“He’s so tough. You saw the impact that he can have on our team. You saw one half without J Lowe and you saw one half with J Lowe. I’m voting for the half with J Lowe actually because he changes everything we do.”