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Men's Basketball

Kentucky’s Path in the SEC Tournament, Building Momentum When it Matters

Published

4 months ago

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Chet White | UK Athletics

March is a time where college basketball teams can get scorching hot en route to postseason success, while others hang on by a thread in hopes they don’t get embarrassed.

Kentucky basketball, unfortunately, is in the unpredictable medium of both of these categories, having won eight out of nine games in the middle of the season, which had the Wildcats as one of the top SEC teams, from losing five out of the last seven games.

Is Mark Pope’s squad capable of putting together a monumental run that will be cemented in Kentucky history, or will the current trends continue? The path is rather clear.

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In accord with the fact that the Wildcats haven’t won two SEC Tournament games since 2018, we’re witnessing history come Wednesday, March 11, as this is the first time in history that Kentucky is first-day participants in the tourney.

May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor

On Wednesday, the Wildcats are the clear-cut favorites against the No. 16 seeded LSU Tigers, with multiple projections predicting that Pope’s team will take down the Tigers by several scores.

The last time these two squads faced off, the Big Blue Nation witnessed “The Malachi Miracle” inside of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, where Kentucky escaped with a 75-74 win on the road.

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Otega Oweh led the way with 21 points, while Denzel Aberdeen pitched in 17 points. LSU had five players with 10 or more points on Jan. 14, shooting 49% from the field as a team and 47% from range.

Notably, with the current fatigue talk, if we see a similar matchup as the earlier chapter, Oweh played 37 minutes and Aberdeen played 34 minutes – someone else giving the Wildcats crucial minutes will be vital in the next-day style of this tournament.

Assuming that it can escape losing to the lowest-ranked team in the entire conference, Kentucky will face the No. 8 seeded Missouri Tigers on Thursday, March 12.

Most fans are chalking this one up as win, but this game, in terms of betting odds, may be a tad closer than one would think. BBN is probably expecting some sense of urgency against Mizzou, considering that Kentucky had the prior matchup won.

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Up 66-58 with 4:37 to go, the Tigers went on a 15-2 inside of Rupp Arena to somehow secure the win on Jan. 7, which will easily be chalked up as one of the “embarrassing ones” when looking back on the season.

Both of these teams share similar qualities: they play through their guards, they can put up points on a moment’s notice and the next moment can’t get one to fall and they finished with the same exact 10-8 conference record.

Based on the prior clashes with both of these Tiger teams, Kentucky fans should expect at minimum a quarterfinals appearance. Anything less than that would be seen as “below the standard” even more than what this season has already been.

Do it For the Fans

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As mentioned earlier, this Kentucky team has been unpredictable. They could beat anybody or lose to anybody, that’s a fact. We’ve seen this team go on stretches, like the one earlier in the season, and during that period there was no quit.

Maybe they were still “figuring things out” in the middle of January, but there was a different mentality. We weren’t watching players jog up the court, give up when the score got a tad out of hand and they certainly didn’t go into games anticipating a loss.

You look back at the countless numbers of comebacks, and obviously they dug their own hole, but that team who could do the unthinkable feels quite distant. During those stretches, the bad starts weren’t as common and it felt like they were becoming one as a whole.

Now, we have players making claims of feeling “disconnected” and conflicting with Pope’s comments just minutes later. Why is that an issue in March?

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Point to point, no matter what the issue is, Kentucky needs to go out and perform for the fans. This fan base is desperate to see this team string together consecutive wins, and even an ounce of momentum can spark one of those historic postseason runs.

Can it be enough to take down No. 1 Florida in a hypothetical world? Who knows – anything is possible during this time of the year.

One game at a time. Just one game.

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Men's Basketball

College Basketball Rankings: Where Kentucky Stands in Updated “way-too-early” Polls

Published

2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Where Kentucky basketball stands in ESPN and CBS Sports updated way-too-early rankings after more coaching changes, player additions, and injuries.
UK Athletics

Last offseason, Kentucky was considered a top-10 team and a true title contender, but ended the season as one of the most disappointing teams in the country, winning just one game in the NCAA Tournament.

This offseason, Kentucky is barely cracking the top 15 in most preseason rankings and will look to climb the rankings throughout the season rather than fall.

Still 120+ days out from the start of the regular season, ESPN and CBS Sports have updated their “way-too-early” rankings following Dusty May’s jump from Michigan to the NBA, more player additions for teams, and some early-season-ending injuries.

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The rankings remain fairly static, however, with the Wildcats holding steady in ESPN’s rankings while moving ahead of St. John’s in CBS Sports’ rankings following Donnie Freeman’s Achilles injury.

ESPN

17. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (no change)

Impact newcomer: Milan Momcilovic

Momcilovic was the best transfer in the portal, after a season in which he established himself as the best shooter in college basketball. The 6-8 forward withdrew from the NBA draft on the night of the deadline, committing to coach Mark Pope’s team a few days later after also being pursued by Louisville and Arizona. He’s immediately an All-America contender and the most dangerous player on the Wildcats’ roster, after averaging 16.9 points and shooting 48.7% from 3 last season.

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Projected starting lineup

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)

CBS Sports

16. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (⬆️1)

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.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Discusses Final Assistant Coach Position, “I’m not in desperate need of adding more pieces”

Published

2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Mark Pope isn't rushing to fill Kentucky's final assistant coach opening, saying pending NCAA rules on international players could shift his plans.
UK Athletics

Kentucky basketball has operated this offseason without a full staff. Assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart left the program back in March, and Mark Pope has only filled one of the two spots since, hiring former NBA All-Star Mo Williams from Jackson State.

Despite that, Kentucky managed to bring in the 3rd ranked transfer class in the country, highlighted by Milan Momcilovic, and have secured a commitment from 2027 five-star Ryan Hampton.

“I like my organization a lot right now. I think this group is functioning at a high level,” Pope said about his staff in an interview with BBN Tonight. “I like the way our staff feels. I like the way we feel in the staff meeting every day. I like the way we’re executing on the road. I like the way we feel on the court right now.”

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With an assistant coach position sitting vacant, Pope is satisfied with how his staff is performing and says there is no urgency in filling the role. Instead, he’s waiting to see how NCAA guidelines and rules unfold in the coming weeks.

“I’m not in desperate need of adding more pieces, although I’m open to the idea,” he said.

“There are going to be a whole host of legal cases from our league testing the CSC and the NCAA on their current guidelines and rules on international players. And depending on what the outcome of those are, it could very much shift the direction we go with hiring.”

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Says Kentucky’s Final Roster Spot Is About Fit, “There’s got to be a very uniquely positioned piece”

Published

2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Mark Pope opens up on Kentucky Basketball's final roster spot, emphasizing fit over hype as the Nikola Kusturica recruitment nears a decision.
UK Athletics

Kentucky basketball is wrapping up its third week of practice in an eight-week summer training block. While the players are getting acclimated to Mark Pope’s system and to each other, there is still one roster spot to be filled.

“I am enjoying coaching these guys, but we’re also still really active in recruiting,” Pope said in an interview with BBN Tonight.

One name that Wildcat fans have been keeping a close eye on in recent weeks is Nikola Kusturica, a 17-year-old prospect from Serbia, who is currently playing for FC Barcelona and is a projected lottery pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. His recruitment is down to Kentucky and UCLA, with the latter having the momentum and a decision expected soon.

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Whoever the final roster piece will be, Pope emphasizes that they must fit with the other 14 players on the roster.

“Where we are with our roster, there’s got to be a very uniquely positioned piece that fits,” he said.

“There are several different archetypes of piece that would fit this roster really well, but there’s also a lot of guys who are popping up as available or have been available for a little while who don’t turn out to be the fit that’s going to work for this team.”

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