After Saturday’s injury scare vs. St. John’s, it was very likely that Kentucky Basketball would hold Jaland Lowe out for Tuesday’s game vs. Bellarmine.
That’s exactly what happened as Lowe and Kentucky continue to manage his shoulder, which has been dislocated twice since October, then reportedly “shifted” in Saturday’s win over the Johnnies. The junior point guard was held out of Tuesday’s 99-85 win over the Knights, a game that was a lot closer than expected.
Thankfully, Denzel Aberdeen (four), Jasper
Johnson (seven), and Otega Oweh (10) combined for 21 assists to help the Cats overcome the loss of Lowe.
After the game, head coach Mark Pope said Lowe was held out due to soreness.
“He had a little bit of soreness, just a little bit of pain, so we just made the calculated decision (to sit Lowe vs. Bellarmine),” said Pope. “When he steps on the floor, I’d like him to be full-strength. I think that’s gonna be important for us going forward.
“I expect him to play every game, but this was just an opportunity for us to let him heal up a little bit more, especially with a break coming up now for a few days. Sometimes, there’s a big difference between 48 hours and 96 hours or, you know, 120 hours. So, we’re trying to just buy a little bit extra time for him to try and heal.”
So for now, it appears Lowe is not in danger of missing Kentucky’s SEC opener at Alabama on January 3rd. Hopefully, the extra time off will help Lowe’s shoulder heal and strengthen enough that he’s able to withstand the opening month of SEC play and beyond.
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