Mark Pope does not expect Kentucky to have Mo Dioubate or Jaland Lowe vs. North Carolina

Will Kentucky have either of its injured portal additions for the Wildcats’ next high-profile matchup, the first inside Rupp Arena? Mark Pope does not expect either of Mo Dioubate or Jaland Lowe back on the floor against North Carolina — not what you want to hear coming off back-to-back losses to power competition to open the season.

The second-year coach started with a joke that would not have gone over well with Big Blue Nation before sharing the update fans were all waiting for. It just wasn’t a positive one, necessarily.

“There is an update, but I’m not going to tell you — because we’re keeping it top secret until the game. We’re not allowed to — I think we have to make announcements here, I don’t know? Right? Something? Those guys are coming along. They’re doing the best they can.

“I’m not sure that they’re going to be available tomorrow, but they’re making progress. We can’t wait till they get back.”

Dioubate suffered an ankle injury late in the loss to Michigan State before sitting out against Loyola (MD) and Tennessee Tech. Sources tell KSR that the Alabama transfer practiced ahead of that win over the Greyhounds on November 21, but has not taken the floor since — 10 days and counting.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure how soon it will be,” Pope said of Dioubate’s status after the Loyola victory. “It was a pretty nasty sprain. But I do know he’s tough as nails, so I expect him to be back sooner than most mortals would be able to get back.”

As for Lowe, he reinjured his right shoulder in the Thursday practice following the Louisville loss on Nov. 13. That came after originally dislocating it during the Blue-White Game on Oct. 17, forcing him to miss both exhibition games, then the regular season opener against Nicholls. He returned against Valparaiso and the Cardinals before going down again just days later and has missed the four games since.

Pope confirmed that Lowe had returned to practice in a non-contact capacity on Nov. 24 and called it a “day-to-day scenario” at the time. That was after saying before the Loyola game that the goal was to “take another swing if he can,” a sign that season-ending surgery was not the preference for the Pittsburgh transfer and anticipated starting point guard.

Sources tell KSR that Lowe was once again a loose, non-contact participant in practice to begin the week for the Wildcats, but did not join his teammates for five-on-five as they put the final touches on game prep for the Tar Heels.

Kentucky could use both of those guys back sooner rather than later.