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RECAP & TAKEAWAYS: Kentucky Overcomes First Half Deficit to beat Texas A&M Commerce 81-61

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t pretty, but the ‘Cats (eventually) took the lead to down the Texas A&M Commerce Lions 81-61 to move on to 2-0 on the young season. Eight minutes into the game, Kentucky was down 21-8, but they went on a 17-3 run to take a one point lead with 7:16 to go in the first half. From there, it was all good guys.

Antonio Reeves leads the way (again)

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Antonio Reeves led Kentucky in scoring to help the ‘Cats get to their victory against Texas A&M Commerce. Reeves went 8-14 (57.1%) from the field overall while shooting a tremendous 5-8 (62.5%) from deep.

However, it wasn’t just shooting the ball where Reeves made an impact. He also finished with a solid six rebounds and two assists to add to his stat line. In addition, in 29 minutes of play, Reeves did not commit a single turnover.

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Overall, Antonio Reeves proved again why he has the potential to do big things this season. The Preseason 1st Team All-SEC selection is making a very strong case as to why he could very well win SEC Player of the Year. We’ll see if his game against Kansas helps or hurts that narrative.

Kentucky starts off slow

As stated in the intro, Texas A&M Commerce came out of the gates swinging, getting out to a 21-8 lead less than ten minutes into the game. Kalen Williams scored a team-high 19 points, and the majority of those came in the first half.

However, after a timeout at the 11:51 mark, Calipari rallied his troops and the ‘Cats would go on a 21-8 run over the course of the next five minutes of action. Adou Thiero was out of the game due to concussion protocol, and you could tell UK missed his physical presence inside.

Did Kentucky look forward to Kansas? Who knows? Considering Calipari mentioned that he had not looked at Kansas film, I would say he didn’t for certain. The players on the other hand? Well, that’s a question left up for all of us to decide.

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DJ Wagner struggles on defense

Coming into the game, the Lions had only made nine three-pointers on the season. Against Kentucky, Texas A&M Commerce scored 30 points from deep, going 10-27 (37%) from beyond the arch.

Perhaps one of the more major concerns moving forward is Kentucky’s on-ball defense, specifically DJ Wagner’s. Wagner fell victim to really any sort of deceptive dribble move that Commerce’s guards made.

Then, Coach Jaret von Rosenburg started using pick-and-roll action to expose Wagner, and it worked for a decent amount of time before Calipari made an adjustment defensively. Against Kansas, Wagner will be tasked with guarding much better players around the perimeter. It’ll be interesting to see if he can improve from Friday night’s game.


Next, Kentucky will make their way to the United Center in Chicago to take on the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks in the Champions Classic. It will be a big-time game for sure, but if John Calipari and his team have any chance of pulling off the upset, they must tighten up on both ends of the floor come Tuesday night. You can view the final box score from the game here.

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Men's Basketball

Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno Earn Conference Preseason Honors

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Photo via Chet White | UK Athletics

On Monday, Oct. 12, Kentucky’s Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno both earned All-SEC preseason honors, with the Iowa State transfer selected to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team and the returning sophomore selected to the Preseason All-SEC Third Team.

Momcilovic is entering his senior season with the Wildcats, looking to follow up his junior campaign after reigning as the undisputed best shooter in college basketball. He averaged 16.9 points per game last year, with his shooting splits reading 50.6/48.7/87.8.

Leading the Cyclones to a No. 2 seed and being selected to All-Big 12 Second Team, it’s safe to say that this isn’t the first time that Momcilovic has been left off of the top list, making the Kentucky superstar hungry to prove the haters wrong on a much larger stage.

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Moreno is returning for his sophomore season after earning All-SEC Freshman Team honors last year, looking to show the Big Blue Nation everything he learned throughout the draft process and that he has changed this summer.

The Kentucky native was thrown into the fire, earning 30 unexpected starts for the Wildcats. He developed as the season went on, ending the 2025-26 campaign averaging 7.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game.

With both Momcilovic and Moreno as staple players on this year’s roster, the SEC has slated Mark Pope’s team to finish seventh in the conference this season, finishing behind Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Vanderbilt.

The full lists of the All-SEC Teams can be found below:

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First Team

  • Rueben Chinyelu (Florida)
  • Juke Harris (Tennessee)
  • Thomas Haugh (Florida)
  • Josh Hubbard (Mississippi State)
  • Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt)

Second Team

  • Amari Allen (Alabama)
  • Alex Condon (Florida)
  • Milan Momcilovic (Kentucky)
  • Jordan Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
  • Matas Vokietaitis (Texas)

Third Team

  • PJ Haggerty (Texas A&M)
  • Malachi Moreno (Kentucky)
  • Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn)
  • David Punch (Texas)
  • Billy Richmond III (Arkansas)

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Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh Shows Flashes in First NBA Preseason Appearances

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Photo via Getty Images

Former Kentucky standout Otega Oweh took another step in his basketball career on Tuesday night, making his NBA preseason debut with the Oklahoma City Thunder and taking on the New Orleans Pelicans.

Oweh came off of the bench and played 28 minutes, finishing with six points, six rebounds, two steals, one block and an assist. The former Wildcat struggled offensively, shooting only 3-of-9 from the field and missing all four of his free throw attempts.

Despite the shooting struggles, Oweh showed flashes of his defensive ability and physicality that made him a fan favorite during his two seasons in Lexington.

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The Pelicans escaped with a 116-110 win, leaving the Thunder with a 0-1 record. The next night wouldn’t draw a different result, with Oweh’s team losing by two and only playing the beloved superstar a total of 16 minutes.

Due to foul trouble, this would be the only minutes he would receive, ending the game with two points on three shots.

Oweh was selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Thunder after averaging 18.6 points per game during his senior season at Kentucky, joining former Wildcats Cason Wallace and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Although his preseason debut wasn’t the offensive performance he might have hoped for, Oweh will have more than enough opportunities to prove himself as he looks to earn a role in a professional rotation.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Competes at Annual Pro Day Inside of Rupp Arena

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Photo via Marissa Gilchrist | UK Athletics

Kentucky held its annual Pro Day on Tuesday, Oct. 6, where NBA scouts were able to watch the team go through individual drills and a live game-like scrimmage. There are plenty of takeaways that stood out during the two hour practice. Let’s dive into it:

1.) Franck Kepnang Shows Off in the Paint

The first thing that stood out was transfer big man Franck Kepnang, with the seven-foot big from Washington dominating in the paint. Starting with the individual drills, he showed his size and ability to get downhill off of a pick-and-roll.

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The bigs went through a finishing through contact drill, and the new Wildcat seemed unfazed by the pads being pounded against him. With Moreno and Kepnang running the paint together, it will make it very difficult for opposing teams to stop both of them.

2.) Ousmane N’Diaye Has High-Scoring Performance

Overseas big Ousmane N’Diaye was another standout in front of the NBA scouts. In the first six-minute “quarter”, N’Diaye led all scorers with eight points.

He showed off his ability to score at all three levels, hitting multiple threes and also demonstrating his ability to score in the paint. N’Diaye wasn’t playing the five spot, which really allowed his team to stretch the floor and help with spacing.

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With Moreno, Kepnang, N’Diaye and Reece Potter all standing at seven-feet tall, Mark Pope has the opportunity to run a four-big lineup all while each player hones a different skillset. Having this much size will pay dividends come time for conference play.

3. The Forwards Do a Little Bit of Everything

A few other players who performed well were Milan Momcilovic and Braydon Hawthorne. Momcilovic played very unselfish during the inter-squad scrimmage, looking to first get his teammates involved and not forcing his game whatsoever.

He did hit a nice step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer in the second “quarter”, highlighting his 10-point performance. Hawthorne had some great looks from beyond the arc and did a phenomenal job getting his teammates open, driving and distributing the rock.

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He finished with six points and one assist.

Overall, the whole team appeared molded together and played as a unit rather than just isolation ball, which is a great sign in early October. There is no shortage of individual talent on this roster, and that was evident on Tuesday, with leaders and experience at every position.

The wait is almost over BBN. Kentucky will take the court in its first exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 16, when Little Rock comes into town. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and will air live on SEC Network+.

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