Mason Williams
Oct 23, 2026; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Mason Williams (4) chases down the ball during the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Rupp Arena Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect · IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Friday night, the Kentucky Wildcats took on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Rupp Arena for a ranked exhibition game, and the Wildcats got the win. Pope and the Wildcats won this game 76-65 to really get the Kentucky fans excited about the upcoming season.

A big reason why this game went so well for the Wildcats was the play of freshman point guard Mason Williams. Last night Williams scored 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-for-4 from three. Williams actually played more minutes in this game than Zoom Diallo, which is something that has shocked many fans.

Mason Williams
Oct 23, 2026; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Mason Williams (4) celebrates during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Rupp Arena Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect · IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Williams is a player that many fans will root for because he isn't supposed to be doing what he is right now. Out of high school, Williams was not ranked among the top dogs. To be exact, he was ranked as the 147th player in the 2026 class according to the 247Sports composite rankings. This is why I am calling him the most underrated player in college basketball. No one was expecting him to do what he has done early into the season.

Coach Pope had this to say about Williams after the win on Friday night: "He's got a really high ceiling if he keeps growing, and we need him to do that." After this quote, Pope went on to talk about how, with the injuries, Kentucky will really need Williams to have a big impact. Here is what Pope said: "Mason is in a space right now with our health as a team where he's going to have to play 20 minutes a game."

Mason Williams
Oct 23, 2026; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Mason Williams (4) celebrates a three point basket during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Rupp Arena Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect · IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Jerone Morton and Trent Noah two guards for this Kentucky team, banged-up Williams is going to be playing at least 20 minutes a game, as Coach Pope said. I feel that he is going to play so well while these two work back from injuries that Pope won't be able to reduce his minutes once the team is healthy. Williams was criminally underrated in the recruiting rankings, and now he is going to make a lot of people look silly.

Williams is going to develop into a superstar and follow in his dad's footsteps and play in the NBA down the road. Big Blue Nation needs to give Coach Pope credit for the player assessment on Williams because it is really going to pay off for this banged-up Kentucky team.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as The most underrated player in all of college basketball is a Kentucky Wildcat.

Source: Yahoo Sports