Men's Basketball

Why The Wildcats Are Built For A Deep March Madness Run

Published

3 months ago

March 13, 2025

Kentucky guard Otega Oweh celebrated with team after big win.

Chet White | UK Athletics

This season has been filled with ups and downs for Head Coach Mark Pope and the Wildcats, one that has been filled with injuries, unnecessary upsets, and blood, sweat and tears.

Literally.

Mark Pope Channeled Some Rick Pitino After Frustrating Loss to Ole Miss, Cutting Hand, “There May Have Been Some Completely Destroyed Furniture in the Locker Room”

However, looking back on the season, this team competed when it mattered most. They went 8-3 in games against AP top 15 teams, tying the 78-79 Duke Blue Devils and the 92-93 Indiana Hoosiers for the most ever in a season.

Kentucky took down No. 6 Duke, No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 6 Florida, No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 8 Tennessee (again when the Volunteers were ranked No. 5), and No. 15 Missouri.

Although they will be without Jaxson Robinson, their second leading scorer with 13.0 points per game and the energetic Kerr Kriisa off of the bench, who’s fit perfectly for tournament play, the 21-10 Wildcats have continued to fight through adversity without these two. Lamont Butler, the team’s third leading scorer, has also been out a number of games.

Look at the game on Jan. 28 when Kentucky went on the road against the rival Tennesee Volunteers. Kentucky was slated to get blown out on the road, coming in as +10.5 underdogs.

However, with Butler and Kriisa both out, Koby Brea stepped up with 18 points and Robinson tacked on 17 points. The Wildcats left Knoxville with a shocking 78-73 upset win.

Since then, the Cats’ record may not necessarily indicate how good of a basketball team they are. They play in the best conference in basketball with the SEC, one that holds a plethora of the top teams in the nation and is head over heels above any other.

The Duke Blue Devils for example, are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation and have the best player in the country with Cooper Flagg. Yet, 13 total teams in the SEC have more ranked wins than Duke.

That instantly screams “Kentucky has played against the best of the best all season long and are slated for March Madness.”

Heart has been displayed by this team over the season, but none more against the Oklahoma Sooners on the road on Feb. 26. Otega Oweh scored 18 straight points for the Wildcats, eventually hitting the game-winning shot.

Again, that’s screaming March Madness. How many players in the country can go on that kind of personal run and carry their team?

Finally, I’ll add on the “why” factor to this Wildcat team. Simply, the narrative has to change. Since their championship run in 2012, Kentucky has failed to bring another one back to Lexington. Year in and year out, Head Coach John Calipari brought in the best talent in the nation, yet failed to tack on another national championship.

Now, with the Calipari era over and nightmares of Saint Peters’ Doug Edert and Oakland’s Jack Gohlke behind them, Big Blue Nation (BBN) turns to Pope to rewrite the history books. Since he held his 1996 championship trophy high in front of BBN during his introduction at Rupp Arena, his passion for this school and his impact have followed his actions during every game, every press conference and at any local event.

Pope cares, he is a Wildcat, and you can tell by his demeanor that he wants another ring on his finger, this time, as a coach.

Is Kentucky a championship team yet? Not by any means. Will it compete with any team on any given night? You can bet your top dollar. Will “blueeeeee, whiteeeee” chants echo with passionate fans no matter how far from home? I guarantee it. The 2024-25 Wildcats are not a team you want to see in March.

Related Topics:Kentucky Basketball March Madness Mark Pope

Men's Basketball

History Made: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Crowned NBA Finals MVP

Published

15 hours ago

June 23, 2025

Isaiah Pinto

Associated Press

For the first time ever, the Oklahoma City Thunder have reached the mountain top, beating the Indiana Pacers in a win or go home game seven, becoming NBA Champions.

Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hoisted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award in front of more than 18,000 fans in Oklahoma City after leading the Thunder with 30.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.8 blocks in the Finals.

The former Wildcat posted 29 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds in the series defining game where the Thunder won 103-91. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA Finals in points.

Not only is Gilgeous-Alexander making NBA history for becoming only the 11th player to win league MVP, the NBA Finals and Finals MVP, but he joins an exclusive club of Hall of Famers, consisting of Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kareem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James.

James was the last “triple-crown” winner in 2013 as a member of the Miami Heat.

Gilgeous-Alexander made Kentucky history by becoming the first ever former Kentucky player to win Finals MVP. Last month, Gilgeous-Alexander made history by becoming the first Kentucky alum to earn league MVP.

This was an incredibly impressive feat considering Gilgeous-Alexander is one out of 137 ex-Kentucky players to play professional basketball, and now is the only one to claim those honors.

Another fellow Wildcat, Cason Wallace, joined Gilgeous-Alexander in a historic list of fellow Kentucky products to win the NBA Finals. The most recent players consist of Jamal Murray in 2023, Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo in 2020, Jodie Meeks in 2019, and Rondo’s first ring in 2008, respectively.

Wallace averaged six points and 2.6 rebounds in the season-defining series.

This NBA Championship is technically the second in the organization’s history, with the first coming in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Washington Bullets in five games. However, this marks the first time the franchise has boasted an NBA Championship as the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In 2008, the SuperSonics, with a rookie Kevin Durant, left Seattle and relocated to the midwest and rebranded as the Thunder. Five years later, the Thunder, led by future MVPs Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, would lose in five games to the Miami Heat.

It has truly been an unforgettable season for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. Oklahoma City accomplished the unthinkable, winning the most games in it history with an NBA-best 68-14 record.

The Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in round one, beat the Denver Nuggets in a seven-game series and bested the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games to win the Western Conference Championship en route to their NBA Finals victory.

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball’s Practice Facility Sees Major Makeover

The Joe Craft Center, after years of casual criticism from Wildcats fans, has finally been given an upgrade.

Published

3 days ago

June 21, 2025

Lane Mills

UK Athletics

Maybe the weirdest qualm of many that plagued John Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky were the consistent complaints about the team’s practice facility, the Joe Craft Center.

From exaggerated rumors about leaks in the ceiling to general observations made about the court and facilities, fans, especially towards the end of that era, pointed to the Craft Center’s age as one of many signs of the times. Even in spite of occasional, supposed changes now and again.

In only his second year, Mark Pope has seemingly already addressed that complaint — at least to an extent.

The official Kentucky men’s basketball account recently posted a video across all social media platforms of the team during summer practice, featuring and obviously removed Craft Center court.

The court itself has been redone, in addition to the graphics and banners on the wall. Alongside the hanging threads celebrating the program’s eight national championships, a ninth one has been tacked onto the end.

It simply reads: “#9 – The Assignment.” If fans weren’t already excited enough for Coach Pope’s sophomore season, a ninth title banner being fixed in the renovation’s spotlight should send folks through the roof.

It may seem like a small thing, but given the program’s track record in the last few years, it’s the small things that feel the biggest. Mark Pope not only understands the assignment, but he’s making sure his team does, too.

Men's Basketball

Jasper Johnson Makes Final U19 USA Roster Under Coach Mark Pope

Jasper Johnson has advanced in the U19 USA camp for the second time alongside the nation’s best recruits, and under Mark Pope’s wing.

Published

3 days ago

June 20, 2025

Lane Mills

Instagram: @bruhjasperj (UK Athletics)

In a surprisingly relevant development smack dab in the middle of the offseason, Jasper Johnson has yet again advanced in the pool of players participating in the USA U19 camp.

The program, which could be a described as a sort of extension of the Team USA that just took home the gold in 2024, is comprised of some of the nation’s most anticipated talents set to take collegiate courts in the next couple of seasons.

Blue Gets In

Among them is Kentucky native and commit Johnson, and was also incoming Cat Malachi Moreno, before the latter was cut as a result of a mild injury he obtained throughout the camp’s course. Despite Moreno’s exit, his future teammate continues to impress.

Under the wing of Coach Mark Pope, who’s helmed the team in the camp up to this point, Johnson has now made the final cut after multiple roster slashes – he and only 11 other players remain in the minority that will go forward to actually compete for the team in the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, which will take place June 28 through July 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The pre-competition camp serves not only as a trial of play before these athletes disperse to their own respective rosters this fall and next, but for Johnson, as a preview of what it’s like to play under Coach Pope. If his current success is any indicator, Kentucky fans may be in for something special when the pair tackle opposing teams together for the blue and white.

In similar noteworthy news, also attending the event are Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes, two Kentucky-born athletes with ties to Kentucky that the program is heavily recruiting. Jasper’s strong performance, combined with Coach Pope’s presence, can only help the Wildcats’ chances on that front, too.

To say the least, Mark Pope has found a way to facilitate Kentucky’s influence far beyond the boundaries of Lexington. He and Johnson, for the time being, will continue to press turn heads on the national stage, and it’s very likely that fans aren’t the only ones paying attention.