Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have been a hot topic of debate this college basketball offseason.
Things didn’t start off great, as Kentucky only had two commitments for the first three weeks of the portal period and missed on multiple targets, including Rob Wright and Donnie Freeman. That gave opportunity for critics to voice their opinion on Mark Pope and his roster building, including the national media.
There are certainly valid criticisms, such as the pursuit of Tyran Stokes, despite all signs pointing to him signing with Kansas, which he ultimately did, for months. In the weeks since, Kentucky has recovered to build a roster that has even upgraded in some areas from last season. They retained Malachi Moreno and finished with the second-ranked portal class, which features Milan Momcilovic, one of the best players in the portal.
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Let’s see where the national media has the Wildcats at this point in the offseason.
Milan Momcilovic completes Mark Pope's roster, an absolutely massive add. Kentucky should now be around a top-10 roster in the preseason according to https://t.co/cegyfz96ax.
Momcilovic’s commitment dramatically changes the Wildcats’ 2026-27 outlook, giving them the best shooter in the country and a legitimate focal point on offense. Transfer guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins are both dynamic off the dribble, and Momcilovic’s gravity and spacing will make them far more effective. Malachi Moreno‘s decision to withdraw from the NBA draft was another massive boost for Pope; Moreno is a potential first-round pick at this time next season. International prospect Ousmane N’Diaye and returnee Kam Williams should battle for a starting spot. The offensive potential of this group is as high as any team in the country.
Projected starting lineup
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Zoom Diallo (15.7 PPG at Washington) Alex Wilkins (17.8 PPG at Furman) Milan Momcilovic (16.9 PPG at Iowa State) Ousmane N’Diaye (9.8 PPG for Cremona in Serie A) Malachi Moreno (7.8 PPG)
This ranking is based on the Wildcats returning one of the top six scorers — specifically Malachi Moreno — from a team that finished 22-14 and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, Washington transfers Zoom Diallo and Franck Kepnang, Washington State transfer Jerone Morton, James Madison transfer Justin McBride, Providence transfer Alex Wilkins, four-star prospect Mason Williams, and international prospect Ousmane N’Diaye.
Big Blue Nation was starting to worry that Kentucky wouldn’t have a top-25 roster. The late addition of Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic changes that. He was the top-ranked transfer available in May, and Kentucky landed him.
The retention of Malachi Moreno, who averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds per game last season, is also huge. He’s due for a breakout year. A projected starting five of Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Momcilovic, Ousmane N’Diaye, and Moreno looks very solid and should have Kentucky firmly in the top-25 conversation.
It took Mark Pope a little longer to finalize his roster than anyone (including Mark Pope) would’ve hoped. But he has his team, and I’ve got to say: I think it has a chance to be really good. And transparently, the pieces fit much better than they did a year ago.
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The big splash was the most recent one, as the Wildcats added transfer star Milan Momcilovic. The former Iowa State star averaged 16.9 points on nearly 49 percent three-point shooting this year and should be able to continue to put up big stats in Pope’s system. Malachi Moreno could be a national breakout star after a productive freshman season and a very productive NBA Draft cycle where he was talked about as a buzzy, fringe first-round pick. And I personally believe the transfer backcourt of Zoom Diallo (Washington) and Alex Wilkins (Furman) fits better than most.
Finally, don’t sleep on returnees Kam Williams and Braydon Hawthorne (who redshirted this past year) as high-upside wings that can knock down shots.
For all the criticism of Pope this off-season — including by me
On Monday, July 20, La Familia traveled to Louisville, KY to take on The Ville in the historic Freedom Hall. With a 1-0 series lead, the Kentucky alumni had a game to give before returning home. Unfortunately for them, they fell by a score of 82-62 in a dominant showing from the Cardinals.
Heading into this matchup, there was yet again some drama with the injury report, as Willie Cauley-Stein was listed as questionable, Marcus Lee was listed as out and Archie Goodwin was marked to make his debut on Monday for the Wildcats.
However, as the day went on, TBT officially announced that Cauley-Stein will play but that Goodwin will not, sending Big Blue Nation into another frenzy of question marks. Nonetheless, no matter if it’s a Marquette alum balling out for you or if it’s the Wildcats’ own, the show must go on.
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I’m here inside of Freedom Hall for La Familia’s matchup with The Ville tonight!
If Kentucky wins, the will advance in the TBT tournament. If they lose, Louisville will travel back to Lexington for game three on Wednesday, July 22.
The majority of the first quarter showed a competitive ballgame, with La Familia holding an 11-9 lead at the media break. James Mainor-Bell banged in two threes to start the game, with Andrew Harrison joining in on the three party after an ankle breaker. The Ville was doing their best to play bully ball with Montrezl Harrell, but the Wildcats held him to only two points in his first quarter of action.
Harrell scored five straight for the Cardinals to start the second quarter, giving them their first lead of the game at the seven-minute mark. From then on, it would be complete and utter domination from the star forward, dropping 16 points in the quarter alone on perfect shooting.
Things are getting chippy in Freedom Hall as La Familia falls behind The Ville.
Harrison, Chris Coffey and others did their best to stop the bleeding, but words cannot describe how quickly The Ville took control and did whatever they wanted on the court. La Familia only shot 8/30 from the field in the first half and nothing could go their way.
At the break, the alumni from the bluegrass trailed 36-22.
From poster dunks, lobs and threes, there was no idea of a comeback in any Kentucky fans’ heart, with The Ville having fun while they could in front of their fanbase.
Harrison and Coffey would combined for 34 points, but in response, Harrell finished the night with 35 points and eight rebounds to tie up the three-game series.
Up next, La Familia will host The Ville on Wednesday, July 22 for the third and final game of the series. The winner will take home the bragging rights and send their in-state rival on a one-way exit out of the TBT tournament. Tip is set for 6:00 p.m. ET and will air live on FS1.
*UPDATE (1:10 p.m. ET): Willie Cauley-Stein is ACTIVE but Archie Goodwin has been downgraded to UNACTIVE per TBT Stats & Info. A reason has not been revealed publicly.
There’s nothing like some evening basketball in the middle of the summer, and that’s exactly what we’re getting later tonight with La Familia’s matchup with The Ville. Tipoff for game two is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET inside of Freedom Hall, with the Kentucky alumni looking to take care of business on the road.
Doing so, will be difficult. We all saw what playing in enemy territory can do to a team – Louisville experienced it on Saturday and went down by as much as 15 points in the third quarter. Given the away atmosphere, the desperation from the Cardinals and unfortunately, some injury news, we’re in for an interesting one.
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Game two’s official injury report has Marcus Lee, who missed game one with the team, listed as OUT for tonight’s matchup. He was originally believed to make his debut on Monday, but it seems it may be the next series where Lee will make an appearance. Willie Cauley-Stein, after tweaking his ankle in La Familia’s first game, is listed as questionable, making Kentucky’s size a thing to question.
Don’t worry though Big Blue Nation, because KY Insider brings good news with the bad. Archie Goodwin, who was a major part of the team’s scoring last summer, will be making his debut on July 20. Sources confirmed that he was attending a wedding on Saturday and couldn’t make the season opener.
The Ville will also be without two key players who missed game one, Ray Spalding and Angel Nunez. The full injury report can be seen below.
‘Tis the season of summer fun for all across Big Blue Nation, because Kentucky’s alumni team, La Familia, wants to rewrite the narrative and prove themselves in the TBT.
The first test came in the most challenging way with The Ville, a team assembled of former Louisville Cardinals, the Wildcats’ in-state rivals. In the best-of-three series, game one took place inside of Historic Memorial Coliseum on July 18, where fans who were craving a little basketball decked themselves out in white gear to cheer on their former Cats.
Through the first quarter, it was seemingly anyone’s ball game to start, with both teams tied 12-12 with 2:31 remaining. Andrew Harrison led the way with five points.
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MEDIA TIMEOUT | 1Q, 2:31
We’re all tied up at the media break, with the Kentucky alumni shooting 2-5 from deep.
Andrew Harrison leads all scorers with five points.
FAMILIA – 12 VILLE – 12— Kai McClelland (@fourwal1) July 18, 2026
Louisville would proceed to go on a 9-5 run to end the quarter, boosting their lead to four.
A shift was then felt in the atmosphere of Historic Memorial Coliseum, and the former Wildcats reciprocated the energy accordingly. Led by Sean McNeil and Harrison shooting from deep, La Familia would double The Ville in the second quarter, outgunning them 24-12.
Harrison’s last-second and-one would send the fans in a frenzy, giving the Wildcats all the momentum heading into halftime, leading 41-33.
La Familia leads 41-33 at the half!
Andrew Harrison and Sean McNeil combined for 20 points and four threes to give the Wildcats an eight-point lead. #BBNpic.twitter.com/KnAdgguHke— KY Insider (@KyInsider) July 18, 2026
Halfway through the third quarter, with what seemed like a blowout win for the Kentucky alumni, turned quickly into an instant classic. The Ville would have a couple chances to hit the target score after climbing all the way back, but Darryl Morsell’s heroics kept La Familia alive.
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Morsell would finish the night with 17 points, claiming the game-winning dunk and sending Louisville back to their city with a loss.
Up next, La Familia and The Ville will face off on Monday, July 20 inside of Freedom Hall for game two of the series. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and will air live on FOX.
