The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team is off to a bit of a disappointing start this season.
The Wildcats began with two straight SEC losses before defeating Mississippi State, and the two early conference losses had fans frustrated.
Kentucky suffered a crucial season-ending injury blow to junior point guard Jaland Lowe, as head coach Mark Pope revealed on Monday during his show.
Mark Pope announces on the Mark Pope Show tonight that Jaland Lowe will get season ending shoulder surgery.
— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) January 12, 2026
Via @UKSportsNetwork pic.twitter.com/Qb8ZguEn20
Pope said they had a “really emotional meeting” with Lowe and “tried every possible reasonable scenario to have him continue on” before deciding to have him undergo season-ending surgery.
Lowe, who spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers before transferring to Kentucky, is in his first season in Lexington.
Lowe suffered his third dislocated shoulder of the season, with the latest one coming in Kentucky’s 92-68 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday at home in Rupp Arena.
The junior point guard played just three minutes against Mississippi State before exiting, and he had 21 points on January 3 in the loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, so he was playing an important role for Kentucky.
Lowe played in just nine games this season, averaging 8.0 points with 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds. He is expected to apply for a medical redshirt to give him another added season of eligibility.
