The Kentucky Wildcats’ 2025-26 basketball season sputtered, in part, because of Jaland Lowe’s shoulder injury. Lowe, a transfer from Pittsburgh, was the only true point guard on Kentucky’s roster. His ailment forced head coach Mark Pope to pivot to less-natural PG options. Wildcat fans who were hoping to have him back for 2026-27, though, are going to be disappointed.
According to Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Lowe is entering the transfer portal for the second consecutive offseason. The 21-year-old rising senior averaged 8.0 points, 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game in 9 appearances for Kentucky.
The Wildcats’ point guard spot has been hampered with injuries in both of Mark Pope’s seasons. Last year, Lamont Butler — like Lowe this campaign — dealt with a shoulder ailment. Kentucky could effectively run its offense through forward Amari Williams with Butler out of the lineup in 2024-25. This season, the Wildcats had no “point-forward” type of player to pivot toward.
Kentucky will remain a transfer-heavy bunch in 2026-27. but the Wildcats did land guard Mason Williams on Friday afternoon and are still in the running for top high school recruit Tyran Stokes. Big Blue Nation desperately wants to see Pope land the plane with Stokes. Regardless, they’re going to need to see more victories and a deeper run in next year’s NCAA Tournament for them to believe Pope can bring them another national championship during his tenure.
