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Men's Basketball

The Morning After: Duke (Champions Classic)

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Photos by Chet White | UK Athletics

College basketball is back! Kentucky dropped the first game of the season to the Duke Blue Devils in what felt like a mid-season game.

It is disappointing for the Cats to lose to Puke, and while you can find reasons to be pessimistic about this team, I saw a lot of positives from the game.

Let’s take a look.

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Inside-Out Duo

Two players recorded a double-double in their Kentucky debuts, Sahvir Wheeler and Oscar Tshiebwe. Wheeler recorded 16 points and 10 assists and Tshiebwe contributed with 17 points and 19 rebounds.

Wheeler and Tshiebwe are a rare inside-out duo that Kentucky has not had since John Wall and Demarcus Cousins back in 2009. While they aren’t as talented or athletic, they are more experienced in the college game.

These two, most notably Wheeler, were the leaders on the floor last night and while they may not be our two best players at the end of the season, their leadership on the floor will be key.

Modernized Offense

6-11. That is Kentucky’s clip from three in the first half of last night’s game, and that is something I am not sure I would ever see in the Calipari era.

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This team has no shortage of shooters and had 4 different players making a three, not including two of the best shooters on the roster, Dontaie Allen and CJ Fredrick.

First Half on the Left, Second Half on the Right
Black=Made White=Miss

Kentucky also looked to have the use the pick and roll option more than in previous seasons, this allowed Oscar to have really good inside opportunities or have the ability to kick out to a shooter.

With that being said, Kentucky still shot their share of terrible mid-range jumpers, especially in the second half and that needs to stop immediately.

It is promising to see Calipari finally modernizing the offense and the difference can already be seen.

TyTy Washington has to be better

9 points, shooting 3-14 from the field was not the ideal debut for TyTy Washington.

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After looking like a smooth criminal and leading the team in points in both exhibition games, it was not TyTy’s night. Washington looked to have put a lot of pressure on himself, causing him to play tense and forcing the issue.

The good thing is, we have already seen what he can do and this shouldn’t be an issue going forward. Not to mention, as a freshman, he will definitely improve over the course of the season and I fully anticipate on him being our best player.

This Team Is Different and They Are Going to Be Fun

From the tip, it was noticeable that this team is not built like most Kentucky teams. This team is not uber-athletic nor loaded with NBA talent as Calipari’s teams of the past, but they are deep, gritty, and experienced.

The Cats fought back from a 15 point lead to nearly take the lead late in the second half against Duke, who looks like to be a top 5 team in the country. How can you not be proud of that performance?

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Last night was the first time since the 2019-20 season that I caught myself smiling and genuinely enjoying watching a good Kentucky basketball team and I am excited.

Conclusion

When you look at the box score, Kentucky looked really good in comparison. The Cats outrebounded Duke by 8, had 15 assists to Duke’s 7, hit 6 more threes, and took 17 more shots.

At the end of the day, Duke had the best two players on the floor in Paolo Banchero and Trevor Keels and while they received some assistance from the referees, that is what made the difference and they deserved to win.

Kentucky’s weakness in most games will defin be the frontcourt, but the backcourt has the ability to make up for that.

After not seeing an NCAA tournament in 2019-20 and a putrid 2020-21 season, it is good to have a talented Kentucky team back in college basketball.

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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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