Pittsburgh All-ACC guard Jaland Lowe commits to Kentucky

Mark Pope has added one of the best players from the ACC to next season’s roster.

On Saturday, Pittsburgh guard Jaland Lowe committed to the Kentucky Wildcats, as first reported by Travis Branham of 247Sports. Clocking in at 6-foot-3, Lowe was named All-ACC Third Team this past season after posting per-game averages of 16.8 points, 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 35.4 minutes as a sophomore. The Texas native shot 37.6 percent from the field, 26.6 percent from deep, and 88.6 percent from the free throw line.

Lowe, who will have two years of eligibility remaining and is testing the NBA Draft waters, joins Tulane guard Kam Williams as the Wildcats’ two incoming transfers thus far.

Lowe was a four-star recruit out of Fort Bend Marshall (TX) before committing to Pitt. After coming off the bench early on in his freshman campaign, he earned a full-time starting role for the final 19 games of the 2023-24 season. As a starter, he averaged 13.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 34.5 minutes per outing on shooting splits of 40.8/40.3/86.4.

Going into his sophomore season, Lowe carried over his starting spot. His basic numbers improved across the board, but the outside shooting took a dip. After shooting over 40 percent from deep in ACC play as a freshman, he shot just 25.8 percent from beyond the arc in ACC play as a sophomore.

That being said, as a career 87.7 percent free throw shooter, there is reason to believe the lefty can get back to where he was as a rookie. On top of that, his usage rate exploded from year one to year two as he became Pitt’s primary initiator in 2024-25. At Kentucky, he won’t be asked to carry nearly as heavy of an offensive load.

“I would say that Lowe’s greatest strengths are his ball-handling and his creativity,” George Michalowski, who covers Pitt basketball for Pittsburgh Sports Now, recently told KSR+. “He likes to go to his left, and he’s got a deep bag of tricks with the ball in his hands. [Lowe] ran a ton of pick and roll at Pitt, and nearly every possession, he had the ball in his hands initiating the offense and creating.”

Lowe’s sophomore campaign was still good enough to earn All-ACC Third Team honors. He’s a high-level playmaker at his best when surrounded by shooters and someone who can create live ball turnovers on the other end. That’s a good pickup for Pope and company.

Kentucky Basketball 2025-26 Roster Tracker

COMMITS (2)

• Kam Williams – G – Tulane – 9.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 48.5% FG, 41.2% 3PT | Committed 3/28
• Jaland Lowe – Pittsburgh – 16.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.2 RPG, 37.6% FG, 26.6% 3PT | Committed 4/5

RETURNING / INCOMING (8)

• Otega Oweh – G – Rising Senior – 16.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 49.2% FG, 35.5% 3PT
• Brandon Garrison – C – Rising Junior – 5.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 50.9%
• Collin Chandler – C- Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 36.1% FG, 34.7% 3PT
• Travis Perry – PG – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 31.3% FG, 32.1% 3PT
• Trent Noah – F – Rising Sophomore – 2.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 45.1% FG, 33.3% 3PT
• Malachi Moreno – C – Incoming Freshman – Great Crossing (Georgetown, KY)
• Jasper Johnson – SG – Incoming Freshman – Overtime Elite (Lexington, KY)
• Acaden Lewis – PG – Incoming Freshman – Sidwell Friends (Washington DC)