Kentucky Wildcats Beat Bellarmine Knights In Final Game Of 2025
It wasn’t always pretty, and it certainly wasn’t a defensive masterclass, but the Kentucky Wildcats got the job done on Christmas Eve Eve. Mark Pope’s squad closed out the calendar year with a 99-85 victory over the Bellarmine Knights inside Rupp Arena, wrapping up their non-conference slate with a 9-4 record.
While the Kentucky fans might have wanted a blowout from the opening tip, what they got was a reminder that even “easy” games can get weird when your engine is sitting on the bench. Here’s how the Cats survived a scrappy in-state rival and what it means before the real heavy lifting of SEC play begins.
Life Without Lowe Is… Complicated
Let’s address the elephant in the room, or rather, the point guard on the bench. Jaland Lowe sat this one out as a precaution after aggravating his shoulder in recent games. If you ever doubted that Lowe is the heartbeat of this team, Tuesday night was your wake-up call.
Without his infectious energy and steady hand, Kentucky looked disjointed early. The defensive intensity that defined their big wins over Indiana and St. John’s took the night off. Bellarmine, a team ranked way down in the 260s nationally, managed to hang 38 points in the first half and get to the rim with alarming ease.
Pope didn’t mince words about the first-half defensive effort, reportedly calling it “embarrassing.” And frankly, watching the Knights shoot 26-of-30 from the free-throw line, it’s hard to argue with him. Good teams find ways to win even when they aren’t playing their A-game defensively. And that’s where the offense stepped in to save the holiday.
Kam Williams Goes Nuclear
If the defense was the coal in the stocking, Kam Williams was the shiny new toy everyone wanted. Williams put on an absolute clinic, dropping a career-high 26 points. But it wasn’t just the point total; it was how he got them. The man was a flamethrower from deep, hitting 8-of-10 from three-point range. That is the best shooting performance by a Wildcat in Rupp Arena since 2020.
He wasn’t alone in the scoring column. Mouhamed Dioubate continued his strong play with 20 points, providing the muscle inside. Denzel Aberdeen stepped up in Lowe’s absence with 14 points, and Jasper Johnson had one of his better nights in blue and white, dishing out seven assists to go with his 11 points.
Otega Oweh quietly put together a double-double, 10 points, 10 assists, proving that even on a night where the defense is leaky, this team has enough weapons to outscore you.
Looking Ahead To the SEC Gauntlet
So, what do we make of this Kentucky team heading into 2026? It is a bit of a mystery. We’ve seen them get blown out by Gonzaga, and we’ve seen them grit out tough wins against quality opponents. This Bellarmine game was a microcosm of their season: flashes of brilliance offensively, moments of concern defensively, and the undeniable fact that health is everything.
The good news? Kentucky finally gets a breather. They have a 10-day break to heal up, get Lowe back to 100%, and tighten up the screws before the real season starts.
And they’ll need it. Kentucky returns to the hardwood on January 3 to kick off SEC play on the road against No. 14 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. That is not a gentle ease into conference play; that is a trial by fire.
