In Tuesday’s loss to No. 25 Ole Miss, Amari Williams shined despite the Wildcats’ performance.
The center recorded a triple-double with a 12-point, 10-assist and 15-rebound outing in Oxford. Williams became the fourth Wildcat to boast a triple-double in school history, joining an elite club of Chris Mills in 1988, De’Aaron Fox in 2016 and Isaiah Briscoe in 2016.
“I mean, it’s a good achievement to have, I would have traded it for a win, for sure,” Williams said. “That’s all I got to say about it really… that’s the only thing I take away from that.”
Moreover, Williams has logged three-straight games with at least 10 points and 10 rebounds amidst the heat of SEC play, including five of his last seven games.
The former Drexel Dragon has inherited an increased role as Kentucky’s sole seven footer. Head Coach Mark Pope has shifted to start for 6-foot-7 Ansley Almonor, a small forward/power forward tweener, in Andrew Carr’s place.
Carr has been limited due to back issues since the Wildcats’ loss to No. 4 Alabama on Jan. 18. A week later, the 6-foot-11 forward missed a game against Vanderbilt and has only played an average of 13 per game over the last three games.
“The truth is, we’re asking Amari to do so much and he’s rising up and doing it,” Pope said. “He’s (got) a triple-double in less than 26 minutes, that’s remarkable, especially as a player his size to be a 10 assist guy on the road… he’s playing amazing basketball.”
The Wildcats have also been without starting point guard Lamont Butler over the past three games, in addition to backup Kerr Kriisa’s injury that has sidelined him since December. In atypical fashion, Pope has tasked Williams with bringing the ball up the court beginning in the Wildcats’ game against Tennessee.
“There’s a bunch of things that are frustrating… for us, it’s a struggle to find ways to get downhill,” Pope said following the loss to Ole Miss. “Their switching defense contributes to that, our lack of pace right now has been a little bit troublesome for us.”
Unfortunately for the Cats, they have dropped four of their last five games despite Williams’ recent play. Kentucky continues to struggle without a true point guard fulfilling the role as a primary facilitator.
“Right now, we need to figure it out with the guys we have,” Pope said. “That’s the job, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
The Wildcats will return to Rupp Arena to face off against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tipoff is placed for noon ET, ESPN2 will be airing the game live.
