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Cats In The Combine: A Potential Next Chapter For Kentucky’s Stars

Published

12 months ago

May 4, 2025

Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats will have a plethora of stars from last year’s team representing the blue and white in the 2025 NBA Draft Combine.

Otega Oweh and Koby Brea have both been officially invited to Chicago, from May 11-18, to perform in front of NBA coaches, general managers and scouts, looking to prove that they have what it takes to make it to the next level.

Amari Williams, alongside one of Mark Pope’s offseason acquisitions with Jaland Lowe, will both compete in the 2025 G League Elite Combine, taking place in Chicago from May 9-11.

Notable names such as Jaxson Robinson, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr and Ansley Almonor, all playing major roles in Pope’s introductory season at Kentucky, did not receive invitations.

Same Story, Different Path

Out of all of these names, Brea is the outlier that’s been mentioned in numerous mock drafts, especially in the latter half of the second round. Williams will likely go undrafted and may receive a deal after the event has concluded.

Although Brea and Williams have ended their collegiate chapters, Oweh and Lowe have made it public that they are just testing the draft process and have maintained their NCAA eligibility, which arises a crucial discussion.

While Oweh’s return to Kentucky is not set in stone, Big Blue Nation can assume that without a stellar performance in the combine that they wont hear his name called on draft night. Currently, he is ranking just outside the top 90 mark on the list of prospects according to several publications’ lists.

A key note to make is that Robinson went through this same exact process coming out of BYU, eventually spending his senior year at Kentucky.

Lowe’s father, in an interview with KSR, reassured that his son’s goal is to still to play for the Wildcats, quoted saying “The expectation and goals are for him to be a part of Kentucky basketball and for him to win the No. 9 championship.”

During his interview with CBS’ Jon Rothstein, Pope spoke on Lowe and his ability to step in be the leader for next year’s team, sounding hopeful Lowe will be a Wildcat.

“I’m excited to get him here and hyper-speed his game,” Pope said. “I think he’s going to be an elite level leader. He’s got a huge future in this game, and he’s going to come do it in a Kentucky jersey, and join this legacy of incredible point guards that have played here.”

Regardless of what may happen, BBN will be patiently awaiting for Oweh to add to his legacy as a Wildcat and for Lowe to write a new chapter, hoping they can do it on the same court.

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Freshman Braxton Van Cleave Marks His Moment in Series Opener Against Vanderbilt

Published

11 hours ago

April 18, 2026

AJ Nava

Two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, with bases loaded, a scenario every single baseball-loving child acts out in their backyard took place at Kentucky Proud Park.

Freshman Braxton Van Cleave hit a walk-off grand slam to win the series opener on Friday, April 17 for the Wildcats, taking down Vanderbilt by a score of 5–2.

The first game of the series didn’t feature much action offensively. However, the only play that truly mattered in a game like that one was the last. Entering the game, Van Cleave only had one hit in his college career, but now the second one will always be remembered.

Everyone in the stadium knew almost immediately that the game was won when the ball started flying to right field and Van Cleave, more pumped up than anyone, pounded his chest and pointed to the Wildcat dugout before even clearing first base.

He was then met by a herd of his teammates waiting to celebrate with him at home – it was a great sight to see for the Big Blue Nation and a game that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

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Series Recap: Kentucky Softball Swept by No. 6 Tennessee

Published

5 days ago

April 14, 2026

Kai McClelland

Eddie Justice | UK Athletics

On Monday, April 13, the Kentucky softball team lost a third straight game to the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers, completing a sweep at John Cropp Stadium.

Unfortunately for the Big Blue Nation, losing games isn’t a new trend, with this now being the fifth time this season that the Wildcats have been swept by a SEC opponent and marking their seventeenth conference loss.

To begin the series, Tennessee dominated on the mound in Saturday’s matchup, where pitcher Karlyn Pickens threw all seven innings, striking out 12 Kentucky batters and not allowing a single hit. The Volunteers would go on to win 5-0.

Sunday’s game would feature the Wildcats’ best chance to pick up a win, thanks to a solid outing from Abby Hammond on the mound. She only allowed three hits and one earned run, but unfortunately, the offense would fail to generate anything on the scoreboard. Pitcher McKenzie Oslanzi would give up four runs in the seventh inning, resulting in a 6-0 loss.

“I think it’s always just one pitch at a time,” Hammond told KY Insider after the game when asked what her message to the bullpen was. “Just one pitch at a time to do the best I can do, and they’re going to do the same thing behind me.”

The final game of the series on Monday would be Kentucky’s biggest showing of offense on the weekend, scoring three runs in the third, but Tennessee had already scored nine runs of its own up to that point. In the final four innings, we would only see one more run for the Vols, with Hammond stepping in once again for a solid outing.

Despite the horrid play against SEC foes, head coach Rachel Lawson is adamant that her team can shock some as tournament time creeps up.

“Once postseason comes, anything can happen,” Lawson told KY Insider. “You have to stay the course, and have a good attitude about it, but once postseason happens, it’s a clean slate.”

Up next, Lawson and her squad will face Northern Kentucky (16-20, 5-7 Horizon) on Wednesday, April 15 on the road. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET.

Other Sports

Kentucky Baseball Falls to Missouri, Loses Third Straight Conference Series

Published

2 weeks ago

April 5, 2026

AJ Nava

On Easter Sunday, April 15, the Kentucky Wildcats (23-8, 6-6 SEC) fell to the Missouri Tigers (19-14, 3-9 SEC) by a score of 5-2, losing yet another conference series in the heat of the year.

A single to left-center put the Tigers on the board first, but INF Luke Lawrence homered in the third, putting the Wildcats back up by one.

It seemed to be anyone’s game up until the fifth inning, where starting pitcher Ben Cleaver threw the ball between the legs of the first baseman while fielding a bunt. Afterwards, the Bat Cats had two unsuccessful challenges and two pitching changes.

To pour salt on the wound that the mistake-riddled defense opened up, Missouri scored the eventual game-winning four runs in the fifth inning. Kentucky never seemed out of a comeback because of how well they swung at the ball, and Nick Mingione said so himself.

“I was absolutely pleased with the at bats we had today,” said Mingione.

Nearly every inning saw a player in the blue and white get on base, but in Sunday’s matchup, the Bat Cats only 2-19 with runners in scoring position.

After dropping their third SEC series in a row, the Wildcats will have to look forward to their next game for a momentum boost.

Up next, Kentucky plays in the Battle of the Bluegrass, hosting the rival Louisville Cardinals (19-13, 5-7 ACC) in Kentucky Proud Park. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday April 7 and will be streamed on SEC Network+.