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Men's Basketball

Lamont Butler “Probable”, Jaxson Robinson “OUT” For Home Bout With Tennessee

While Lamont Butler returns to the fold, Jaxson Robinson will miss his first game of the season against Tennessee.

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Kentucky guard Jaxson Robinson keeps the ball away from South Carolina defenders.
Marissa Gilchrist | UK Athletics

At this point, what is Kentucky Basketball without an unpredictable, and most often unfortunate, injury report?

The latest iteration of the update ahead of the Wildcats’ home matchup with Tennessee has Lamont Butler listed as “Probable,” with Jaxson Robinson slated decisively as “OUT.” Of course, Kerr Kriisa also remains sidelined, for now.

Robinson suffered a wrist injury in practice before the team’s win against South Carolina on Saturday, one that clearly bothered him throughout the game that followed despite his solid performance.

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While Robinson’s scoring (13.3 PPG) will be dearly missed against the defensively expert Volunteers, Butler returning to the lineup for a second straight game should give Kentucky fans reason to remain optimistic.

Koby Brea will likely see extended minutes and a start in Robinson’s wake as well. A big game from #4 would go a long way for the Wildcats.

Overcoming Obstacles

Just last month, Kentucky managed to beat Tennessee on the road without Lamont Butler and (mostly) without Andrew Carr. The 78-73 victory was the lone exception during the team’s worst stretch of the season so far.

Up to this point, Kentucky has made a valiant effort in SEC play in the face of their inability to stay consistently healthy. 

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But at 5-5 in the conference and 16-7 overall (placing them in the middle of the SEC, and national, pack) Kentucky will have to find a way to string together a couple of wins as the season winds down, lest they sacrifice a competitive seed in March.

That starts with taking care of business at home, no matter the circumstances. To that point, Mark Pope and the boys in blue will face one of their most telling tests of the season tonight in Rupp Arena.

You can tune in and catch the staggered ‘Cats as they attempt to sweep the season series with Tennessee at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky’s Otega Oweh Selected No. 41 Overall in Second Round of the NBA Draft

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Photo via Tristan Pharis

It’s sad to say goodbye to a superstar, a player who always had the ball in his hands when the clock ticked away, created countless memories and who’s name will always carry weight in any given conversation.

That superstar is Kentucky’s Otega Oweh, with his dream to play professional basketball coming true on the night of Wednesday, June 24. 

Selected with the No. 41 overall pick, the Miami Heat originally had rights to Oweh but would quickly move him to the Oklahoma City Thunder via trade.

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The New Jersey native was a standout player in the NBA Combine in May, leaving behind an impressive body of work at Kentucky with 1,255 career points as a Wildcat. 

Oweh will more than likely be a two-player under league contract, but members of the Big Blue Nation know very well that he’s the type of personality to fight his way to the top.

The 6-foot-5 guard is now Mark Pope’s fourth draft pick ever, joining teammates Koby Brea (No. 41, Suns, 2025), Amari Williams (No. 46, Celtics, 2025) and Jayden Quaintance (No. 20, Spurs, 2026). 

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope compares Justin McBride to former Kentucky star

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Mark Pope says Justin McBride gives him "Julius Randle vibes." The James Madison transfer has shed 10+ lbs and is a Kentucky basketball early surprise.
UK Athletics

The Kentucky basketball team started practicing earlier this month, and one of the biggest surprise performers thus far has been James Madison transfer Justin McBride. One reason for that is the offseason work he has put in before arriving in Lexington.

McBride, who previously played for Oklahoma State, Nevada, and most recently, James Madison, is listed at 6’8 and 250 pounds on Kentucky’s roster list. Those listed numbers are bigger than any of his previous stops, but he is currently in the best shape of his career.

According to one source, McBride has lost 10-12 pounds of fat from his top playing weight at James Madison. That has allowed him to be more mobile in practice, a pleasant surprise to what the staff was expecting of him coming in.

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Mark Pope had a comparison for McBride in a ‘Mark Pope vs. the Shot Clock’ segment on UK Sports Network.

“Julius Randle vibes, seriously,” Pope said.

Randle was the SEC Rookie of the Year and an All-American in his one season at Kentucky, so high praise for McBride. However, Pope is not comparing McBride to Randle in terms of talent, but in terms of style.

McBride grades excellent as a catch-and-shoot guy in analytics, shooting 40% from deep last season, an ability that Randle has shown in the NBA. Also similar to Randle, he can use his size to get to his spots in the paint and muscle his way for a rebound.

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Having a bully-ball kind of player, who is also efficient from three-point range, is a welcome addition for a Kentucky program that has struggled with physicality in recent seasons.

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance Drafted First Round by the San Antonio Spurs

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Brett Davis | IMAGN Images

It’s every kids dream to play professionally one day, let alone be able to play for the University of Kentucky on the way to the next level. 

Although Jayden Quaintance’s time with the Wildcats ended anticlimactically, his NBA dreams have officially come true at just 18 years old. 

The Cleveland, Ohio native began his collegiate career with the Arizona State Sun Devils, starting in all 24 games he played in.

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Before his unfortunate knee injury, Quaintance was good for nearly a nightly double-double, averaging 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game to go along with 2.6 blocks a night. 

He would transfer to Kentucky ahead of his sophomore season, making his first appearance on Dec. 20 against St. John’s.

Finishing the game with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, many members of the Big Blue Nation were confident that their superstar had finally debuted. 

Only appearing in three more games for the 2025-26 season, it was quite clear that his eyes were set on playing at the next level, not taking any chances of another injury. 

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Selecting Quaintance with the No. 20 overall pick, the Spurs have now added on to their elite front court and will likely utilize him as a two-way player.

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