The Wildcats lose Cam Williams to a broken leg against Texas
85-80 victory for the Kentucky Wildcats over the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday night at Rupp Arena came at a huge cost, as with Mark Pope Kentucky basketball lost guard Cam Williams, who suffered a broken foot that will sideline him for the foreseeable future.
Head coach Pope confirmed diagnosis shortly after the gameexplaining the severity of the injury as well, while discussing William’s strong performance and the emotional impact the injury has had on the team.
“Kem’s foot is broken, so he’s going to be out for a while. He’s a beautiful kid, and I thought he made some special plays tonight. We’ll get him back as soon as we can, but it’s definitely a blow for us,” Pope said in a postgame press conference.
The injury occurred in the second half hard contested match. Kentucky and Texas went into halftime tied 40-40 after the opening 20 straight minutes. While Williams was active early, he was forced to the bench after suffering a foot injury and played just four minutes in the second half.
Despite his limited streak, Williams still had an impact. He finished with nine points in 16 minutes, shooting 2-of-3 from the field and 1-of-2 from three-point range, and added a rebound and a steal. His absence forced Kentucky to adjust on the fly, especially with the Wildcats already short-handed. Big man Jaiden Kuaintance stays out with a knee injury, and guard Jaland Lowe is done for the season after a shoulder injury and the guard opted for surgery.
Kentucky ultimately relied on its depth and composure to seal the win, improving to 13-6 overall and 4-2 in SEC play, good enough to remain tied for second in the conference standings. The win also came against a Texas team firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, making it an important boost going forward.
Williams, a sophomore who entered the night averaging 6.8 points and 2.6 rebounds, will now begin the recovery process. As SEC play intensifies, Kentucky is facing a realignment challenge his rotation and finding consistent production pending his return, with Pope stressing that the priority remains getting Williams back healthy, not putting him on the floor.
2026-01-22 08:13:00
