Kentucky Basketball

Kentucky speedsters Rajon Rondo and the late Ralph Beard
The 2024-25 Kentucky Wildcats completed a successful season under first year head coach and UK alumnus Mark Pope. The Wildcats overcame adversity from injury throughout the season, first losing their back-up point guard Kerr Kriisa to a foot injury after a few games, then losing their starting point guard (Lamont Butler), best NBA prospect (Jaxson Robinson and senior leader Andrew Carr sporadically through the latter half of the season.

Despite this the team stepped up and despite competing in what likely was the most competitive SEC conference ever, they secured a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the Midwest Regional Semifinals where they were knocked off by conference rival Tennessee in Indianapolis, despite beating the Volunteers in their two previous regular season games.

The team was led by transfer guard Otega Oweh who became the Wildcats most consistent scorer and dependable defender. Oweh scored double figures in 33 of the 36 games he played in and also provided some clutch game winning plays. Others who were major contributors included Grad transfers Jaxson Robinson, sharp-shooter Koby Brea (who ended up top 10 in career 3-point shooting percentage at Kentucky with 43.46%), point guard Lamont Butler and 7-footer Amari Williams who at times was forced to act as UK's playmaker.

Key to Kentucky's success down the stretch was the emergence of younger players who stepped up and filled in key roles including big man Oklahoma State transfer Brandon Garrison freshman Collin Chandler who was starting his collegiate career after a Mormon mission and freshmen and Kentucky natives Travis Perry and Trent Noah.

This team continued a long tradition of outstanding teams which represent the University of Kentucky basketball program. Kentucky basketball is comprised of talented players and coaches who form together as a single unit to work toward a common goal. The team plays an exciting brand of basketball which looks to get out and run, but one that also looks to execute offensively whenever possible and minimize mistakes. Defense is Kentucky's bread and butter, as they look to disrupt and shut down the opposing team's game plan. The team regularly faces some of the most challenging schedules in the nation against motivated opponents looking to make a name for themselves by beating the Big Blue.

There is no program in the nation with as devoted, knowledgeable or fanatical fans as the University of the Kentucky. It's no accident that Kentucky is generally considered the top college basketball program of all-time, or that Kentucky leads the nation in numerous statistical categories, both on and off the court. To keep up with the Cats, check out the Associated Press Rankings, USA Today Coaches Rankings, the ESPN BPI Rankings or the Jeff Sagarin Ratings to keep up with the Cats.


Wildcat Logo

"It's not just about working hard, it's about working together. You have to care more about the team than you do about yourself" - Coach John Calipari

"I just thought it was the Kentucky fans coming in." - Coach Billy Gillispie in Atlanta after a tornado slams into the Georgia Dome.

"Really, UCLA's a great place as well, but they don't have the kind of environment they have here. The fans here have a passion." - Dick Vitale on Kentucky fans, December 23, 1999.

"He's got the puppies set off the bus." - Bill Raftery talking about Tayshaun Prince hitting his fifth straight three-point shot from U.

"Apparently the University of Kentucky basketball dynasty is to continue forever." - Philadelphia Inquirer, December 23 1954.

"Turner ... Burner .... and one" - Jim Nantz

"Kentucky has found the secret of basketball, that it's five guys playing together." - former University North Carolina coach Frank McGuire

"I see no reason to end the basketball season in February just so some of these schools can start spring football practice early... Someday they are going to wake up and realize that basketball is here to stay." - Adolph Rupp on his Southeastern Conference brethren in 1934.

"I'd just as soon freeze to death." - Actress Ashley Judd relating a story of being offered a University North Carolina - Chapel Hill jacket on a chilly movie set. - Lexington Herald Leader, August 15, 1996.

"It's not wise to come to Kentucky and try to run them off their court. Not too many teams have ever done that." - Mississippi State Coach Babe McCarthy in 1962.

"When you see Kentucky's fans, you just wonder. You think how wonderful it would be to go to their school. You wish you could trade places for a day, just so you could experience that feeling." - UCLA player Kris Johnson

"In the next four or five years, Kentucky will be at its best. It has taken a lot of hard labor, but down the road we will be at our best." - Rick Pitino in 1995

"They had it before you, they had it during you, they'll have it when you're gone"...." - Al McGuire on Kentucky Basketball Tradition


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Looking Ahead

Mark Pope and Team Celebrate 1st UK Victory
The 2025-26 season finds Mark Pope with a full season under his belt and a full off-season to recruit and prepare for the future. He was able to build on his initial successful season at Kentucky by signing a mix of talented transfers, freshmen and foreign players to bolster the roster and to replace a number of players whose collegiate eligibility had expired.

The key returning player from Pope's inaugural season at UK is Otega Oweh, but he is the not the only one. Oweh is joined by Junior Brandon Garrison and sophomores Collin Chandler and Trent Noah.

To this core group of returnees are some highly touted and accomplished transfers, including point guard Jaland Lowe from Pittsburgh, wing shooter Kam Williams from Tulane, combo guard Denzel Aberdeen from National Champion Florida and power forward "Mo" Dioubate from Alabama. Another transfer, 6'-11" Jayden Quainteance from Arizona State was injured at his previous stop and is still rehabbing, but hopes to be cleared to play later in the season.

The freshman class is smaller but still talented. The class is headlined by two Kentucky-bred players, Lexington native and Kentucky legacy Jasper Johnson from Lexington and Malachai Moreno from nearby Georgetown Ky. Kentucky also signed a highly touted European forward Andrija Jelavic from Zagreb Crotia, who previoulsy played for Mega Bemax and Braydon Hawthorne from Beckley, WV.

The schedule for the 2025-26 season is daunting. Given a recent NCAA rule change, teams can face Division I opponents in exhibition games and Kentucky took the challenge to face Preseason #1 rated Purdue and Georgetown University to test themselves in Rupp Arena before the regulation games begin.

Other key non-conference matchups include their first road test versus their annual rival the Louisville Cardinals on November 11 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. Kentucky faces Michigan State in New York City's Madison Square Garden as part of the Champions Classic doubleheader (the other game will be between Duke and Kansas). On December 2 Kentucky will face their old rival North Carolina in a rare late night game in Rupp Arena in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

Kentucky is also scheduled to face Gonzaga in a "neutral" court game in Nashville on December 5. Kentucky will renew it's long-established rivalry with the Indiana Hoosiers when they visit Rupp Arena on December 13th. The two schools have not played each other in a regular season game since 2011. Kentucky will face their former coach and Mark Pope's mentor Rick Pitino and highly touted St. Johns in the CBS Sports Classic on December 20 in Atlanta.

The SEC promises to once again provide a difficult challenge highlighted by two games against defending the National Champion Florida Gators, with the final game of the season coming against the Gator in Rupp Arena. Kentucky will travel to Fayetteville on January 31st to face former coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks and try to gain revenge for a loss to the Hogs last season. Other highly touted teams Kentucky will face this season include the Tennessee Volunteers and Auburn Tigers under new head coach Steven Pearl among others.

The Wildcats will host both the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners to Rupp Arena for the first time as members of the Southeastern Conference. These two schools joined the league the previous season.

The 2026 SEC Tournament will be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee March 11-15.

The 2026 NCAA Final Four will also be held in Indianapolis April 4th and 6th at the Lucas Oil Stadium. Regional sites include Houston, TX; San Jose, CA; Chicago, IL and Washington DC.

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Statistics of past Kentucky Players and Teams

Here you will find the most complete statistical site devoted to any one college basketball program. Check it out, and let me know if there are any corrections or additions that should be made. - (Continually Updated)

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Top 10 Misconceptions surrounding UK and their basketball squad

I believe most every home page should bring something new to the internet rather than recycle the same information. In that vein, I have included my thoughts on some of the misconceptions that surround Kentucky basketball. Some have questioned me as to why someone would want to concentrate on what is sometimes negative or hard-to-defend areas rather than relive the many good aspects of the Kentucky Basketball program. My main answer is that while I generally don't like to dwell on the negative, I attempted to cover these topics because many of these issues simply are not covered anywhere else and some of the stories are important to tell. I could have put together material which illustrates the amazing accomplishments of such a storied program that is Kentucky Basketball, however much of this has been covered before in books, special edition memorabilia and videos spanning many decades. Most of this information is off the top of my head although I have gained much information from the Lexington Herald Leader along with other newspaper archives, magazines and books. If you have any facts or statistics to support or disprove me, I would appreciate .


Some Oldies but Goodies

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Kentucky Articles

From time to time, I might have something I want to write about or provide which doesn't fit into the 'detractors' format as above. So here is that place.

Kentucky Detractors

Every great program will attract its share of detractors and Kentucky has plenty of them. Whether they think UK is a bunch of cheaters, they don't like the coaches, the fans, the style of play or they just think UK wins too much, there's always going to be someone who roots against the Cats. I've put a list together of the top ten detractors of the basketball program. This page is intended to tell a little about the background of each person, the apparent reason for their dislike of the program and includes some anecdotes and quotes about the subject. All in the name of fun. A nationally known sports columnist loved it so much he was moved to pronounce it as "quite a list. An amazing list in fact." (More is available about that also.) Contributions to the Top-10 page are greatly appreciated.

Below is a critique of various poor media practices concerning issues related to Kentucky in the year 2010. Hopefully this type of critique will not be necessary in future years.

I've also written two book reviews which I believed unfairly criticized Kentucky. The first review is of Raw Recruits from the perspective of a Kentucky fan. The second review is of a recent book And The Walls Came Tumbling Down which attempts to drag former coach Adolph Rupp's name through the mud.

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Historic Kentucky Rivals

From time to time, I will write up a short history of the rivalry between Kentucky and some of their historic foes in preparation for an upcoming game. The ones which are done are highlighted below. Hopefully someday the rest will be filled in.

Non-Conference Rivals

Conference Rivals

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NCAA Tournament Pools

While not directly related to Kentucky basketball, I do have a definite opinion about how to run an office pool when NCAA Tournament time rolls around. In the past, I've run a pool that is easy to maintain, fun and doesn't require that you buy any software you don't already have.

UK Media Outlet Links

Print Media Outlets

Television Media Outlets

Radio Media Outlets - For complete list see UK Athletics

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Wildcat Blogs and Discussions

Wildcat Blogs

Wildcat Tweets - Below are selected Twitter accounts of recent and notable Kentucky Men's Basketball Players and coaches. A full list can be found here.

Wildcat Chat, Mailing Lists and other Discussion Groups

Talking about the Wildcats has been a tradition in Kentucky for over 100 years. With the internet, this tradition has taken on new forms with many different sites and formats popping up through the years. For fun, I put together a rough timeline of the various discussion groups, many which are included below.

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General Information Links

Team Profiles

General UK Information Links

Wildcats in the NBA - Selected Current Wildcats. For full list see this page.

For a list of former UK players playing overseas, check the following link.

Individual Pages of Current and Past Wildcat Players & Coaches

General College Basketball Links

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UK Homepages

Below are some home pages of other Wildcat Fans. If you think your page should be listed or know of others, .

Search Google, Bing or Yahoo! for more Kentucky Wildcat Pages.

This site and others can be searched through this link.

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Conference Information

Sometimes if the Cats aren't on TV and you can't get onto their radio site, you can catch them through their opponents broadcasts. For Kentucky, that would be the nasty Southeastern Conference.

SEC Logo

Radio Broadcasts


Athletic Home Pages

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Please send all additions/corrections to


Last Major Update May 20, 1996


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