Kentucky basketball will be without two key players against North Carolina
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UK basketball will be without Mouhamed Dioubate and Jaland Lowe against North Carolina.
- Dioubate is dealing with an ankle injury, while Lowe is recovering from a shoulder injury.
- Kentucky faces UNC in the annual ACC/SEC Challenge at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky basketball is aiming to secure its first marquee win of the season Tuesday night. But the Wildcats will have to do so without two of their top players.
Junior forward Mouhamed Dioubate and guard Jaland Lowe are both out for Mark Pope’s team as No. 18 UK hosts No. 16 North Carolina at Rupp Arena in an ACC/SEC Challenge game.
Neither Dioubate, nor Lowe, went through Kentucky’s pregrame warmups.
On Monday night during his weekly radio show, Pope had cast doubt that either player would suit up for the Cats. “I’m not sure that they’re going to be available tomorrow, but they’re making progress,” he said.
Dioubate, a 6-foot-7 forward from New York City who transferred to Kentucky during the offseason after two years at Alabama, suffered an ankle injury Nov. 18 during UK’s loss to Michigan State in the Champions Classic. The North Carolina game will mark the third straight contest that Dioubate has missed. He was part of UK’s starting lineup for the first five games of the season.
Dioubate is averaging 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game.
“I think it’s been good for our team, in the sense of we’ve been playing with different lineups, experimenting with different ways we can go forward,” UK sophomore guard Collin Chandler said of how the team has navigated Dioubate’s absence. “I think it’s given us new ways to play, even when Mo’s back.”
With Dioubate sidelined, Pope has elected to insert sophomore wing Kam Williams into the starting lineup. Another change to the starting group has been freshman center Malachi Moreno replacing junior forward Brandon Garrison at the 5 spot.
Lowe, UK’s expected starting point guard, remains out. He has been dealing with multiple injuries to his right shoulder this season. That’s Lowe’s non-shooting shoulder. Still, Lowe has only appeared in two games off the bench after transferring to UK during the offseason from Pittsburgh.
In 48 combined minutes against Valparaiso and Louisville, Lowe has totaled 15 points, 10 assists and two steals. He’s made only four of his 15 shots from the field.
“Those guys are coming along, they’re doing the best they can,” Pope added Monday about both players.
In addition to Dioubate and Lowe, the Cats are also still without sophomore forward Jayden Quaintance. A projected lottery pick in next summer’s NBA draft, Quaintance is recovering from a March surgery to repair a torn ACL. Quaintance was Kentucky’s top transfer addition of the offseason after beginning his college career at Arizona State.
UK projects to have only nine contributors available against North Carolina. In addition to these three injured players, junior Reece Potter plans to redshirt this season, and a redshirt is also on the table for freshman Braydon Hawthorne.
