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Men's Basketball

No. 9 Kentucky Wins in First Round of the SEC Tournament

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4 months ago

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Tristan Pharis | KY Insider

On Wednesday, March 11, the No. 9 seeded Kentucky Wildcats (20-12, 10-8 SEC) took down the No. 16 seeded LSU Tigers (15-17, 3-15 SEC) in the first round of the SEC Tournament, winning by a score of 87-82.

After the whole buzzer-beater thing last time the Wildcats faced the Tigers, Kentucky was looking to start its week off right with a momentum-building win, playing in the team’s first Wednesday tourney game in program history.

Andrija Jelavić would start things out for the Wildcats, scoring a quick seven points on perfect shooting. Otega Oweh would soon take over, forcing multiple defenders to foul him throughout the first half.

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To spark the members of the Big Blue Nation, Kam Williams took the court for the first time since breaking his foot, soon after hitting a pocket three to spark “Go Big Blue!” chants.

Mark Pope’s team would go up by as much as nine points after a stupidly-called flagrant foul on Mo Dioubate, but the Tigers wouldn’t go away, making four out of their next five field goals and cutting the lead back down to five.

At the half, Kentucky led by three, outscoring LSU 46-43. Otega Oweh dropped 13 points in the first 20 minutes, while Denzel Aberdeen and Andrija Jelavić combined for 15 points.

As the second half began, fans inside of Bridgestone Arena had no idea what they were in store for. The Wildcats, only starting 2-6 from the field, allowed the Tigers to get back in it, and from then on, every play was a response.

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Brandon Garrison, nearly getting payback for his teammate Malachi Moreno after previously getting dunked on, would spark threes on back-to-back plays to put the Wildcats up 71-64, sending a pop throughout Nashville that could be heard back in Lexington.

Fans wouldn’t get any quieter, as the referees would do their bidding, but we know how that goes for the Wildcats this season.

Oweh would zoom by later on for a pretty layup, putting Kentucky up by 10 in the final seven minutes. On the next play, a charge would be called, firing up the chants once again.

Garrison, up to 15 points at the time, would get a huge smile from Pope during the next media timeout.

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Max Mackinnon would keep on keepin’ on, scoring his eleventh bucket of the night and cutting the lead back down to nine, but the energy in the building was just enough for the Wildcats to pull one out after Pope’s timeout. With four minutes remaining, the Wildcats led by seven.

A missed call on a LSU walk, an airball from Dioubate and a quick bucket off of a turnover had the blue and white fans worried for a second, but Oweh would yet again swoop in for an easy bucket, taking his total to 20 points on the day.

The Tigers would cut the lead down to five with two minutes to go, but again, Oweh would sink a pull-up jumper, serving as the early dagger.

Was this a no-brainer? Of course, theres no way Pope and company would lose to the worst team in the conference. However, tomorrow should be fun, and the Wildcats aren’t willing to go home just yet.

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Up next, Kentucky will face the No. 8 seeded Missouri Tigers (20-11, 10-8 SEC) on Thursday, March 12 for a second-round matchup. That game will tip off at 12:30 p.m. ET and will air live on the SEC Network.

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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

on

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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