Men's Basketball

The Morning After: Kentucky’s Exhibition Win Over Missouri Western State

Published

4 years ago

October 31, 2022

UK Athletics

Following a humbling loss to Tennessee on Saturday night, the Big Blue Nation needed a pick-me-up, and the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team provided that in their preseason exhibition against Missouri Western on Sunday night, winning 56-38.

It is important to note that Defending National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe did not play due to a minor knee procedure that he had done earlier this month.

However, he was on the court with warmups on, dribbling a ball on the baseline before the game, and is anticipated to be ready for the season opener on November 7th.

With that said, let’s get to the game.

Calipari elected to start four seniors (Fredrick, Reeves, Toppin, Wheeler) and a sophomore (Collins) on Sunday night, which is not typical for a Calipari team.

Kentucky started the game slowly on the offensive end, which continued throughout the half, scoring just 26 points on 11/27 shooting.

However, Kentucky did play well on the defensive end – albeit against inferior competition – holding Missouri Western State to just 18 points.

In the second half, the offense improved, despite losing Sahvir Wheeler to injury, and did enough to win going away.

Now, let’s take a closer look at Kentucky’s performance.

Sahvir Wheeler Injury

The biggest story to come from this one was the injury to Kentucky starting point guard Sahvirf Wheeler, who went down with a leg injury in the second half and had to be helped off the floor.

While Wheeler certainly has his limitations, Kentucky is a better team with him healthy. This would be a brutal loss if he has an extended absence, so hopefully, this turns out to be something relatively minor.

Jacob Toppin

For the previous two seasons, Jacob Toppin has provided an important spark with his ability to run the floor, rebound, and defend at a high level.

With his return, there has been a strong belief that this could be Toppin’s breakout season.

Throughout the offseason, the self-confidence was very apparent, and in the Bahamas, he debuted his much-improved offensive game and was the team’s second-leading scorer (16.8 ppg).

On Sunday night, he continued to show that he will be a versatile and key offensive weapon for the Wildcats this season, scoring an efficient 10 points (4/6 FG, 1/3 3P) in the first half alone but missed his only two shots in the second half.

Block Party

Kentucky’s last addition to this season’s roster was Ugonna Onyenso, a 2023 reclassification from Nigeria. Standing 7-foot tall, with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, Onyenso was a four-star recruit and was tabbed one of the best rim protectors in the country.

Unfortunately, Onyenso did not get to play in the Bahamas but joined the team in late August.

Despite limited time with the team, the 4-star freshman impressed in his first action as a Kentucky Wildcat, blocking a total of five shots in just 15 minutes.

When Onyenso first joined the team, it was unsure if he would contribute this year. At this point, I think it is entirely possible, if not probable, that he will be a part of the frontcourt rotation.

Offensive Struggles

As mentioned before, Oscar Tshiebwe did not play tonight, therefore the offense did not have its typical makeup. With that said, without him, the Wildcat offense looks to have a long way to go.

For the game, Kentucky scored just 56 points, the lowest amount of points scored by UK in an exhibition in the Calipari era.

Despite the offensive inconsistency, there were some positives including CJ Fredrick’s three-point shooting (4/6 3P) and the transition offense (20 total fastbreak points).

As for the latter, this team has the potential to be elite defensively, which will create some offensive opportunities. Expect Calipari to continue his mantra of coaching defense first and allowing the offense to develop over the course of the season.

Yet, when Tshiebwe returns, he will attract a lot of attention, and it will open the floor for the rest of the team. Expect the offense to look much more reminiscent of the team that scored at least 98 points in four games in the Bahamas.

There was some good and bad, but Kentucky got a double-digit win, and we can continue to laugh at Louisville Cardinals losing their exhibition.

Men's Basketball

Rankings Roundup: Where Kentucky Basketball Stands After the NBA Draft Deadline

Published

3 hours ago

June 5, 2026

Tristan Pharis

ESPN, CBS, FOX, and other national media have all released Kentucky basketball preseason rankings after the NBA Draft deadline. Here's the full breakdown — and what it means for BBN.

IMAGN

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have been a hot topic of debate this college basketball offseason.

Things didn’t start off great, as Kentucky only had two commitments for the first three weeks of the portal period and missed on multiple targets, including Rob Wright and Donnie Freeman. That gave opportunity for critics to voice their opinion on Mark Pope and his roster building, including the national media.

There are certainly valid criticisms, such as the pursuit of Tyran Stokes, despite all signs pointing to him signing with Kansas, which he ultimately did, for months. In the weeks since, Kentucky has recovered to build a roster that has even upgraded in some areas from last season. They retained Malachi Moreno and finished with the second-ranked portal class, which features Milan Momcilovic, one of the best players in the portal.

Let’s see where the national media has the Wildcats at this point in the offseason.

EvanMiya

Roster Ranking Range: 8-13

Kentucky Roster Outlook

Milan Momcilovic completes Mark Pope's roster, an absolutely massive add. Kentucky should now be around a top-10 roster in the preseason according to https://t.co/cegyfz96ax.

Don't sleep on Malachi Moreno, he's could have a massive sophomore year for UK. pic.twitter.com/bPvwZmSGwK— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) June 2, 2026

ESPN

17. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: Unranked

Momcilovic’s commitment dramatically changes the Wildcats’ 2026-27 outlook, giving them the best shooter in the country and a legitimate focal point on offense. Transfer guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins are both dynamic off the dribble, and Momcilovic’s gravity and spacing will make them far more effective. Malachi Moreno‘s decision to withdraw from the NBA draft was another massive boost for Pope; Moreno is a potential first-round pick at this time next season. International prospect Ousmane N’Diaye and returnee Kam Williams should battle for a starting spot. The offensive potential of this group is as high as any team in the country.

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

17. Kentucky

Previous Ranking: NR

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.

FOX Sports

25. Kentucky

Previous Ranking: NR

Big Blue Nation was starting to worry that Kentucky wouldn’t have a top-25 roster. The late addition of Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic changes that. He was the top-ranked transfer available in May, and Kentucky landed him.

The retention of Malachi Moreno, who averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds per game last season, is also huge. He’s due for a breakout year. A projected starting five of Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Momcilovic, Ousmane N’Diaye, and Moreno looks very solid and should have Kentucky firmly in the top-25 conversation.

Aaron Torres

15. Kentucky Wildcats

Key Returnees: Malachi Moreno, Kam Williams, Braydon Hawthorne (redshirt), Trent Noah
Key Additions: Milan Momcilovic (transfer), Zoom Diallo (transfer), Alex Wilkins (transfer), Justin McBride (transfer), Jerone Morton (transfer), Franck Kepnang (transfer), Ousmane N’Diaye, Mason Williams, Zyon Hawthorne
Key Departures: Otega Oweh, Jayden Quaintance (NBA Draft), Collin Chandler (transfer), Jaland Lowe (transfer), Brandon Garrison (transfer), Denzel Aberdeen (transfer), Jasper Johnson (transfer), Mo Dioubate (transfer), Andrija Jelavic (transfer)

It took Mark Pope a little longer to finalize his roster than anyone (including Mark Pope) would’ve hoped. But he has his team, and I’ve got to say: I think it has a chance to be really good. And transparently, the pieces fit much better than they did a year ago.

The big splash was the most recent one, as the Wildcats added transfer star Milan Momcilovic. The former Iowa State star averaged 16.9 points on nearly 49 percent three-point shooting this year and should be able to continue to put up big stats in Pope’s system. Malachi Moreno could be a national breakout star after a productive freshman season and a very productive NBA Draft cycle where he was talked about as a buzzy, fringe first-round pick. And I personally believe the transfer backcourt of Zoom Diallo (Washington) and Alex Wilkins (Furman) fits better than most.

Finally, don’t sleep on returnees Kam Williams and Braydon Hawthorne (who redshirted this past year) as high-upside wings that can knock down shots.

For all the criticism of Pope this off-season — including by me

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Slated to Play Virginia in 2026 ACC/SEC Challenge

Published

5 hours ago

June 5, 2026

Kai McClelland

Jordan Prather | Imagn Images

We officially have a list of matchups for the ACC/SEC challenge, and Kentucky will be taking on an unusual opponent on the road.

Per Jon Rothstein, the Wildcats will be traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia to take on the Virginia Cavaliers in the 2026-27 season. This game is currently scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 2 at John Paul Jones Arena.

The Wildcats hold a 6-3 all-time record against the Cavaliers, with the last meeting coming way back in the 2002 Maui Classic. Mark Pope will clash on the clipboard with second-year coach Ryan Odom, who replaced Tony Bennett after the 2024-25 season.

Among other premiere matchups in this conference clash include Arkansas at North Carolina, Duke at Florida, and Alabama at Miami. The full schedule can be seen below:

Tuesday, Dec. 1

Arkansas at North Carolina
Auburn at Clemson
Duke at Florida
Boston College at Georgia
Wake Forest at LSU
Pitt at Missouri
Syracuse at Oklahoma
Ole Miss at Virginia Tech
South Carolina at NC State
Florida State at Tennessee
Texas at Louisville

Wednesday, Dec. 2

Alabama at Miami
Kentucky at Virginia
Georgia Tech at Mississippi State
Stanford at Texas A&M
Vanderbilt at Notre Dame

This is now Kentucky’s fifth non-conference game that has been announced, joining the game against Kansas on Tuesday, Nov. 10 (Champions Classic, Chicago), at Indiana on Friday, Nov. 20 (Lucas Oil Stadium), vs. Louisville on Saturday, Dec. 12 (Rupp Arena) and vs. North Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 19 (CBS Sports Classic, New York).

Men's Basketball

Three Former Wildcats Set to Make NBA Finals Debut

Published

2 days ago

June 3, 2026

Kai McClelland

Image via Getty Images

Kentucky athletics is in the prime of the offseason, with the Bat Cats wrapping their season up and the countdown to college football underway. Luckily for members of the Big Blue Nation, three former Wildcats will be playing in the 2026 NBA Finals, beginning tonight on ABC.

Karl-Anthony Towns

How can we not start with the most loved big man in the league, Karl-Anthony Towns. From his funny character on the court to his big moments in the blue and white, Towns has made a name for himself in this playoff run as one of the most consistent bigs in the league.

He basically records a double-double every single game, and has set multiple records for the New York Knicks this year, notably becoming the first Knicks center to record a triple-double in the playoffs and moving up to the third all-time for the most 20-10 games in Knicks postseason history.

However, while he’s battled and bruised his way through the eastern conference, “Big Purr” will be tasked with taking on superstar Victor Wembanyama, who’s quickly took the league by storm. It’ll be interesting to see how KAT, the former cat, performs against the 7-foot-4 big.

De’Aaron Fox

Switching teams, we have to talk about the speedy De’Aaron Fox. While he’s dealt with a right ankle injury and fought through adversity this postseason, he’s still produced a handful of impactful games for the San Antonio Spurs.

Fox is good for six or more assists a night with a couple of steals, and if his shot is falling, he becomes extremely dangerous on the court. While he struggled against the Oklahoma City Thunder from the field, he’s still managed to tally double-digit performances in most of the playoffs games so far.

His shiftiness and agility opens up the Spurs offense in a multitude of ways, and when he’s on the court, any game turns into must-see television. Fox will earn the starting spot tonight at point guard, making his first NBA Finals appearance.

Keldon Johnson

Last, but certainly not least, is one of my personal favorite Wildcats ever with forward Keldon Johnson. Serving a pivotal role off of the bench, Johnson makes the right plays at the right time.

He silently will get a big rebound or make a huge play on the defensive side of the ball, but more occasionally, he’s hitting a shoot from deep, just like he used to do at Rupp Arena.

Making two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Johnson will look to spark some momentum for the Spurs on the biggest stage of them all.

Get Your Popcorn

Well Wildcats fans, get your popcorn ready and find a comfy seat. Towns will face Fox and Johnson tonight in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, airing live on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Can the Knicks break the drought that has casted a shadow on New York for some time, or will the Spurs add another championship to their collection and etch the beginning of a new dynasty?