It’s Trent Noah Time in Lexington - and Kentucky Needs Him More Than Ever
The injury bug just won’t leave Kentucky alone this season, and this time it’s sophomore guard Kam Williams who’s sidelined - and for a while. Williams suffered a broken foot early in the second half of Kentucky’s 85-80 win over Texas on Wednesday night, a tough blow for a team already navigating a season filled with setbacks.
Head coach Mark Pope confirmed the news postgame, and with Williams joining a growing list of unavailable Wildcats, it’s officially Trent Noah’s turn to step into the spotlight.
“He’s going to have to play now,” Pope said. “And he can.
He’s a good player. He actually is going to help us win.”
That’s not just coach-speak. Kentucky isn’t working with a full deck right now, and Noah - a 6-foot-5 sophomore from Harlan County - is next in line. After a promising start to his college career, the opportunities have been limited for Noah this season, but the door is wide open now.
Let’s rewind a bit. Noah played in 24 games as a freshman and came into this season with a real shot to carve out a bigger role.
He started both of Kentucky’s exhibition games and the regular season opener against Nicholls. But that night, he rolled his left ankle - a setback that derailed his early momentum.
Since then, it’s been a slow climb back.
Noah has started just two games since - against North Carolina Central and Indiana in December - and his minutes have been sparse in SEC play. In fact, he’s only logged five total minutes in league action, all coming in the last two games: a road win at Tennessee and Wednesday’s win over Texas. He hasn’t scored since a Dec. 23 win over Bellarmine.
But with Williams now out, and the Wildcats thin across the board, Noah’s number is about to be called - and called often.
Williams had been averaging over 22 minutes per game in Kentucky’s last nine outings, and those minutes need to go somewhere. Junior point guard Jaland Lowe is already out for the season with a shoulder injury that will require surgery.
Sophomore big man Jayden Quaintance has missed four straight games due to swelling in his surgically repaired knee. And UK is still planning to redshirt junior center Reece Potter and freshman forward Braydon Hawthorne.
That leaves just nine healthy players in the rotation heading into Saturday’s matchup with Ole Miss - and Noah is one of them.
Still, there’s confidence within the locker room that the team’s depth can hold strong.
“We just go out and play,” said junior forward Mo Dioubate. “We’ve been saying it all year, all summer: We’re the deepest team in the country.
So I don’t think that should just stop because we’ve got a few injuries, a few guys out. I think we’re still able and capable of doing great things this year.”
That belief now hinges, in part, on Noah’s ability to rise to the occasion.
“He started games for us. He’s a really good player,” Pope said.
“And so, he’s going to get more minutes and he’s going to be really great. He’s going to help us.”
Noah’s been putting in the work behind the scenes. Back in October, he talked about how the game had started to slow down for him - a sign of growth and comfort in his second year.
“I feel like last year, a lot, I was kind of caught up on thinking of where to be and what to do,” Noah said. “But now it just flows a little better and I kind of have a little upper hand, because I know what’s going to happen before it happens.”
That kind of mental edge can be the difference when a player is thrust into the rotation midseason. And according to his teammates, Noah’s been locked in during practice.
“One thing about TN, he has always been consistent for us in practices,” Dioubate said. “He’s been one of our most consistent guys in practice with making shots and just playing his game.”
Sophomore guard Collin Chandler echoed that sentiment.
“He’s just kept his head up and continued to play well in practice,” Chandler said. “If you came and watched him at practice, you wouldn’t know that he was frustrated.
You wouldn’t know what’s been going on with him in his life. So he’s stayed ready for the moment, and now we are going to need him a lot.”
That readiness has been on display before. After Kentucky’s Blue-White game in October, Pope praised Noah’s physicality, his ability to protect the ball, and most notably, his shooting.
“He’s clearly just a dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, dangerous shooter,” Pope said. “He just brings this calm to our team.”
That shooting touch has been mostly seen in nonconference action this season. Against top-tier opponents, Noah has played in seven games, logging 56 total minutes with nine points and eight rebounds. Modest numbers, sure, but the sample size is small - and the opportunity for a bigger role is here.
Kentucky’s season has been a rollercoaster, but there’s still plenty of track ahead. And for a team looking to rediscover its rhythm amid a rash of injuries, Noah’s emergence could be a key piece of the puzzle.
“This will be a great opportunity for him to step up,” Dioubate said. “He’s been asking for this all year, so the moment’s right here for him. I think he’s locked in on that and good things will come.”