Mark Pope talks status of both Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance

A big decision awaits on Lowe's future specifically, while Quaintance continues making progress.

Kentucky Wildcats guard Jaland Lowe (15) shoots the ball during game against the Missouri Tigers. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky basketball picked up a huge win over Mississippi State, one where they looked really good on offense for the first time essentially since the Purdue exhibition. The Wildcats moved the ball very well, with guys off the ball screening and cutting all game. The urgency to make plays as a team was the best result from Saturday. It was without two key pieces, Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance, but Kentucky will need them moving forward to reach their potential.

Jaland Lowe, who is like the engine of Kentucky's offense, has now gone down three times in the first halves of games this season: Indiana, St. John's, and now Mississippi State. The first two, the team looked very lost on the court, unable to generate any flow on offense, but when he returned, all was better. Against Mississippi State, fans were thinking that the same result was going to happen without their point guard on the floor. But, the Wildcats took that and used it as fuel instead of sulking. Mark Pope talked on Monday about how the team stayed motivated after Lowe went out just two minutes in, and also without Quaintance on the floor all game.

"The truth is that all of us standing around looking at is not actually helpful. It actually is the opposite. It actually has a negative impact. You kind of get used to fact, the best way we can help that particular player is by continuing on this game so if and when they come back, we're still in and we're still competing."

Lowe and Quaintance are two of the biggest pieces to this Kentucky team, and the whole team knows that, including Pope. The head coach updated their status' on Monday, saying they will meet with doctors in the afternoon to discuss the best plan forward for Lowe, and with Quaintance, Pope says he's making progress, but they'll know more about his status in the next few days. Kentucky is obviously in a tough position with Lowe, as Pope said on Saturday that everything is on the table whether to sit him out a few games or even the rest of the season, and as for Quaintance, more of a general game-by-game basis. It's a huge decision coming up for Lowe, though.

"(Jaland) was in some pain yesterday, and so we're kind of doing consults, and I was hoping that he was going to wake up yesterday morning and just feel perfect, but he didn't. So we'll kind of move forward. We got a meeting today at four and maybe see what kind of game plan we can put together." Pope then elaborated on Quaintance's status: "We did some more testing. That's an ongoing thing too that we're gonna probably figure more about in the next couple days."

As for Lowe's big decision, Pope says it will be more of a focus of how positively can he impact the team moving forward. The same also goes for Quaintance as they try and not rush him back.

"They'll do anything they can to play," Pope said on both Lowe and Quaintance. "J-Lowe has already proven that, like, he's doing anything he can to play. And so I think for him, it's just, is there a way that I can functionally do this and get out there and contribute to the team? I think that's pretty simple. And I think at the end of the day, it's the same way for JQ, like, is there a way and get on the floor and actually positively impact this game? So there are so many things that you factor in, but at the end of the day, it comes down to that very simple thing. For both these guys, they desperately want to be on the floor."

We should find out soon if Lowe will return to the court soon or not at all, and with Quaintance, if it's a few games from now or even returning on Wednesday at LSU. A big decision awaits.