Kentucky didn’t just beat Bellarmine — the Wildcats turned Rupp Arena into a 3-point shooting gallery.
Behind a career night from Kam Williams, Kentucky cruised past the Knights 99-85 on Tuesday afternoon in its final nonconference game before SEC play begins. Williams caught fire after an early miss, drilling 8 of 10 shots from deep and finishing with 26 points, the best scoring performance of his college career.
His teammates noticed immediately.
As Williams sat with reporters postgame, the Wildcats paraded by with playful shouts — “Kam Williams for three!” … “Steph Curry!” … “Shooter!” — a fitting soundtrack after an afternoon where nearly everything he launched seemed destined for the net.
“I didn’t think I was going to miss again,” Williams said afterward.
Kentucky didn’t miss much as a team, either. The Wildcats knocked down 16 three-pointers on 30 attempts, good for 53.3%, both season highs under Mark Pope. Denzel Aberdeen added four triples, Jasper Johnson hit three, and Williams stole the show.
The offensive explosion came despite Kentucky being shorthanded. Jaland Lowe didn’t play after experiencing soreness following Saturday’s win over St. John’s, and Jayden Quaintance appeared only briefly in his second game back from knee surgery. Pope effectively gave both stars extra rest heading into SEC play.
That left the spotlight on Kentucky’s supporting cast — and they delivered offensively, even as the defense lagged behind. Bellarmine scored 85 points, the second-highest total it has posted against Division I competition this season, and the Wildcats never fully pulled away from the heavy underdog.
Pope acknowledged the defensive issues but focused on what he liked most: ball movement and shot creation.
Otega Oweh orchestrated the offense with 10 assists, repeatedly breaking down the defense and finding shooters. Three of those assists went to Williams alone.
“I want that every night,” Pope said. “Make plays for teammates.”
Bellarmine’s zone defense helped create open looks, but Kentucky earned many of those shots with sharper passing and better spacing than it showed earlier in the season. Johnson, who has struggled at times with forcing shots, posted seven assists and just one turnover, a positive sign moving forward.
Still, the big question remains unanswered.
Kentucky has torched lesser competition from beyond the arc all season, but against high-major opponents, the shooting has fallen off dramatically. With SEC play looming — starting at No. 14 Alabama on Jan. 3 — the Wildcats will soon find out whether this shooting performance translates against elite defenses.
The optimism inside the locker room is real.
“With our attack and our shooting, we can be very dangerous,” Aberdeen said. “Once teams have to guard the three, we can really get downhill.”
Lowe’s return should only amplify that threat, and Quaintance will demand defensive attention once fully unleashed. For now, Kentucky heads into conference play believing it’s closer to unlocking its offensive ceiling.
And if Kam Williams shoots anything like he did Tuesday?
The Wildcats will be a problem.
