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Men's Basketball

Biggest Takeaways for Mark Pope’s Team After Blue-White Game

Ahead of one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory, there are a few key takeaways from the Wildcats Blue-White scrimmage.

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Trent Noah and Reece Potter.
Marissa Gilchrist | UK Athletics

The first official competitive preview of Mark Pope and Kentucky’s incoming season has arrived in the form of the yearly Blue-White scrimmage. With (reportedly) the most expensive roster in the country and a fanbase that hasn’t been as enthralled as they are right now for the better part of a decade, a lot is riding on Coach Pope’s sophomore season at the helm.

Blue-White, while not a full indicator, is always helpful in laying groundwork and setting expectations for the team at hand. Here are the biggest, most notable takeaways from this year’s iteration of the event.

Kentucky is More Physical

In a play during the second period, transfer forward Mo Dioubate dove on the ball, scored in the paint, stole it in transition and, again, scored in the paint. Memorial Coliseum went accordingly nuts.

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The stretch is a microcosm for what appears to be a much more physically concerned Kentucky team. Rebounds constantly let to second opportunities, especially from long range, and the aforementioned Dioubate, as well as Kentucky native freshman Malachi Moreno, stood out as board-crashing savants in the blue-white duel.

Kentucky fans should expect this team to answer much of the worry regarding physical toughness generated by last year’s team. It appears that Mark Pope built the 2025-26 squad with those previous shortcomings in mind.

Sharing the Wealth

Arguably the other aspect of the scrimmage that stood out the most, the Wildcats’ ability to pass the ball at every position is one that will keep even notorious SEC defenses guessing.

With Jaland Lowe (former Pitt Panther) leading the charge, Kentucky’s offense moves with a liquidity; off-ball momentum got multiple players open looks – including an entertaining Reece Potter slam – and bigs, especially Brandon Garrison, returned the favor to the guards on multiple occasions with passes from the top-of-the-key.

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For a program that dealt with a static offense for years on end prior to the Mark Pope era (not to point fingers) having an offensive system built around the basketball’s continuous movement is a refreshing change of pace. It’s a dizzying efficiency that, when at its best, could set Kentucky apart whilst they face one of the team’s toughest schedules in recent memory.

Primary Shooters vs. “Can Make” Shooters

While most of Kentucky’s roster appears equipped to shoot the ball, there are certainly options bound to shoot a higher clip than others, and the discrepancy was made clear in the Blue-White matchup.

Players like Trent Noah and Andrija Jelavic, among others, stood out as “anywhere on the floor” shot-makers with multiple contested triples finding the bottom of the net. With both those guys expected to come off the bench, Kentucky appears prepared to take advantage of their previously perceived depth.

On the other hand, attempts from players like the aforementioned Mo Dioubate and second-year Cat Brandon Garrison were less fortunate, appearing awkward and less surefire in comparison. Mark Pope is known for encouraging his entire team to shoot at will, but if Blue-White suggested anything, it’s that gearing open looks to certain shooters may be a more worthwhile strategy in the long run.

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Then again, this was only one game, and a scrimmage at that. Time will tell if these apparitions take full form when Kentucky’s season tips off in early November. The continuous calls for a ninth title from within the program loom large over a big blue fanbase that is facing down their largest gap without a championship in decades.

The clock isn’t ticking on Mark Pope, by any means, but for a coach loudly embracing the fan’s expectations, it’s become apparent that the BBN is expecting nothing less from this year’s highly-anticipated roster.

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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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