Kam Williams changed the game for Kentucky in second half vs. Louisville

If it wasn’t for Kam Williams‘ second-half performance, Louisville’s eight-point win probably looks closer to 20.

Williams didn’t play a single second of the first half in Kentucky’s 96-88 loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday night. He didn’t check into the game until UK was down 20 points — Louisville’s largest lead of the game — with 12:24 to go in regulation. Eight minutes later with Williams rounding out a small-ball Kentucky lineup, the Wildcats were down just four points. it just wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.

Despite coming in cold, the Tulane transfer made an immediate impact off the bench. Williams hit a deep second-chance three-pointer that cut Louisville’s lead down to 14 with 10:36 to go. His put-back dunk with 7:45 on the clock made it just an eight-point deficit. He finished with five points, four rebounds (one offensive), and a block in his 12 minutes of action, easily leading Kentucky in plus/minus at +11.

Outside of getting beat on a backdoor cut at one point, his unexpected performance down the stretch is going have the Big Blue Nation wanting even more moving forward.

Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

“I thought Kam gave us a little length and a little mobility, and his ability to kind of just have a little bit of gravity on the floor is important for us,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said postgame. “We’re blessed with a really special roster, a great group of guys, and there’s going to be a learning curve with the pieces, about trying to figure out when and how and where to put them together, but I thought he helped us tonight.”

Williams was mostly a non-factor on offense through Kentucky’s first two regular season games. The 6-foot-8 wing posted two total points against Nicholls and Valparaiso, missing all five of his three-point attempts. The rebounding and defense were still there, but his shooting confidence appeared to dip with every missed shot from deep.

That was enough to keep him on the bench for most of the Louisville game. Whether or not Pope should have played him earlier will surely be a talking point over the next few days. But Williams deserve credit for being ready for his moment and taking advantage of it. Will the stretch against Louisville be the one that helps him hit his stride?