Oct 11, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Kam Williams (3) competes in the three point contest during Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky guard Kam Williams: 'We're going to win the National Championship this year'

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Oct 23, 2025 5:58 PM ET

The basketball season is set to get started for the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday night as they will host the #1 team in college hoops, Purdue, into Rupp Arena for an exhibition game.

Kentucky guard Kam Williams joined the Wildcats Today Podcast on Thursday to break down the game and the season for Kentucky. Williams was talking about the game against Purdue when he went on to talk about the expectations of this basketball team.

Here is what Williams had to say about this team: "There are some doubters out there for us. Saying our expectations can't be reached. I've been seeing a bunch of things on Twitter saying our team could be overrated, but starting tomorrow, we're going to put a strong emphasis on everyone that we're going to win the National Championship."

Here is the link to the full interview with Williams on the Wildcats Today Podcast.

It does seem that while people believe the Wildcats are going to be a solid team, there isn't a ton of belief that this team is going to win it all. When taking a look, Coach Mark Pope did an excellent job putting this team together via the transfer portal, and his team looks like one of the deepest in all of college basketball.

Williams is going to be a star this season for Kentucky, and the NBA scouts agree. Last season as a true freshman, Williams shot over 40% from three on 4.6 attempts per game, and this is why he has been going in the lottery of NBA Mock Drafts.

When Williams got to Kentucky, Big Blue Nation knew he was a sharpshooter, but now it sounds like he is taking his defense to another level. If Williams can become a lockdown defender on top of the sharpshooter he is, it will be scary for the rest of college basketball.

It is clear that Williams and the Wildcats have a lot of belief in themselves which is great. Coach Pope has talked about not shying away from the expectations, and it is clear that the players are taking this message to heart.

The national media knows Kentucky is good but doesn't seem to be giving this team credit as a real title contender. On Friday, without their starting point guard and center, the Wildcats will have a chance to make a thunderous statement. This is going to be a special college basketball season in Lexington, Kentucky.

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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