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Brandon Garrison and Mo Dioubate also deserve praise in the win over Santa Clara

Brandon Garrison and Mo Dioubate also deserve praise in the win over Santa Clara

Kentucky was able to get the win over Santa Clara in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in part because of Otega Oweh, who sent it to overtime with a three at the buzzer, but it was the play from the big men off the bench that also need to be noted in the 89-84 win on Friday.

Otega Oweh News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 20
Otega Oweh's late-game heroics lead Kentucky past Santa Clara 89-84

Otega Oweh's late-game heroics lead Kentucky past Santa Clara 89-84

The Kentucky Wildcats began their NCAA Tournament journey on Friday in St. Louis, in hopes to keep that adventure going with a win over Santa Clara in the first round.

College Basketball News / Yardbarker / March 20
Miracle buzzer-beater saves Kentucky from upset against Santa Clara

Miracle buzzer-beater saves Kentucky from upset against Santa Clara

Seven-seed Kentucky survived 10-seed Santa Clara, 89-84, in a huge win for embattled Wildcats coach Mark Pope.

Otega Oweh, Kentucky escape Santa Clara in OT thriller
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The 'Men's Final Fours since 2000' quiz
College Basketball News / Last Word On Sports / March 20
Santa Clara vs Kentucky: Prediction, Preview, Odds

Santa Clara vs Kentucky: Prediction, Preview, Odds

It’s on to day two of the Round of 64, and I will break down the matchup between the Santa Clara Broncos and the Kentucky Wildcats. This contest will take place at Enterprise Center in St Louis, Missouri.

College Basketball News / Yardbarker / March 19
Kentucky HC Mark Pope pushes back on NIL narrative, but it's not convincing

Kentucky HC Mark Pope pushes back on NIL narrative, but it's not convincing

There is always going to be pressure at Kentucky and an expectation to compete for national championships. Money only adds to that pressure.

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Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 19
Jayden Quaintance says he is 'unlikely' to return for Kentucky this season

Jayden Quaintance says he is 'unlikely' to return for Kentucky this season

It has been over two months since we last saw Jayden Quaintance on the court in blue and white. Well, don't expect to see him moving forward this season.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 19
Kentucky players talk about the team's identity heading into the NCAA Tournament

Kentucky players talk about the team's identity heading into the NCAA Tournament

It's a very important weekend for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats coming up. Not only do they need to win Friday to avoid a very, very dreadful off-season, but a win on Sunday would please many fans as far as the outlook of this entire season goes.

Mark Pope News / ESPN / March 19

UK's Pope irked, mum on Lendeborg's money talk

Kentucky men's basketball coach Mark Pope had a lot of things to say about Yaxel Lendeborg's comments that he received a a multimillion dollar offer to play for the Wildcats -- except for saying the Michigan star was wrong.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 19
Three players who must play well for the Kentucky Wildcats to make an NCAA Tournament run

Three players who must play well for the Kentucky Wildcats to make an NCAA Tournament run

Not many college basketball analysts believe that the Kentucky Wildcats are going to go on a run in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have had issues all season long when it comes to consistency, which is why most don’t believe they could stay hot enough to win six tough games in a row.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 19
College basketball expert predicts an early NCAA Tournament exit from Kentucky

College basketball expert predicts an early NCAA Tournament exit from Kentucky

There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of belief in this Kentucky team. It is probably safe to say that Santa Clara taking down Kentucky might very well be the most common upset pick in brackets so far this year.

Otega Oweh News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 18
Kentucky's Otega Oweh is being disrespected by the national media ahead of the NCAA Tournament

Kentucky's Otega Oweh is being disrespected by the national media ahead of the NCAA Tournament

The star player for the Kentucky Wildcats is Otega Oweh. He was the Preseason SEC Player of the Year and earned Second Team All-SEC honors. Oweh has been incredible for the Wildcats this season, putting up 18.2 points per game, but he was exceptionally good in SEC play.

Mark Pope News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 18
Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff have whiffed on another five-star 2026 recruit

Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff have whiffed on another five-star 2026 recruit

Mark Pope and the Kentucky coaching staff have been trying for months now to land some recruits in the 2026 class and just haven’t been able to get it done.

Mark Pope News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 18
How a win against Santa Clara or a loss would affect Mark Pope's future in Lexington

How a win against Santa Clara or a loss would affect Mark Pope's future in Lexington

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have had a very interesting 2025-26 season that has featured a ton of ups and downs. Heading into the season, there was a ton of hype around this team thanks to the price tag and many other factors.

College Basketball News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 18
Three reasons the Kentucky Wildcats will beat Santa Clara in the NCAA Tournament

Three reasons the Kentucky Wildcats will beat Santa Clara in the NCAA Tournament

It is finally NCAA Tournament time, and the Kentucky Wildcats are getting ready to take on the Santa Clara Broncos from the WCC. Many in the national media have concerns for the Wildcats in this game and are picking the Broncos to pull off the upset.

Mark Pope News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 17
Mark Pope needs to make sure he lands some elite shooters in the transfer portal

Mark Pope needs to make sure he lands some elite shooters in the transfer portal

This is going to be a very important transfer cycle for Mark Pope, as he currently does not have any players committed in the 2026 class, so he will be fully reloading next year's roster from the portal unless a random high school commit comes in.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 17
Predicting how many games the Kentucky Wildcats will win in the NCAA Tournament

Predicting how many games the Kentucky Wildcats will win in the NCAA Tournament

The Kentucky Wildcats will play their first game in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, and many fans are wondering if this team has any kind of run up its sleeve.

KenPom has Kentucky's matchup with Santa Clara being an absolute barnburner

KenPom has Kentucky's matchup with Santa Clara being an absolute barnburner

Most are projecting the matchup between the Kentucky Wildcats and Santa Clara Broncos to be a very tight game, and the analytics agree with this. KenPom has projected the final score of this game, and it was Kentucky winning by two points, taking down the Broncos 81-79.

Mark Pope News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 17
Why Kentucky fans need to have confidence Mark Pope's team will beat Santa Clara

Why Kentucky fans need to have confidence Mark Pope's team will beat Santa Clara

So far this week, many Kentucky fans have felt that their Wildcats are on upset alert, and this is because like 90% of college basketball media is picking Santa Clara to take down Kentucky in the Round of 64.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 16
Kentucky needs a secondary player to get hot to go on a NCAA Tournament run

Kentucky needs a secondary player to get hot to go on a NCAA Tournament run

The NCAA Tournament is officially here, and the Kentucky Wildcats are a seven-seed. A tough matchup with ten-seed Santa Clara lies ahead for the Wildcats, and if they are able to win this game, they will more than likely be taking on the two-seed Iowa State.

Mark Pope News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 16
A player who would be a perfect fit for Mark Pope at Kentucky intends to enter the transfer portal

A player who would be a perfect fit for Mark Pope at Kentucky intends to enter the transfer portal

The transfer portal in college basketball has changed, as it is now open from April 7th until April 21st. This will give college players two weeks to put their name in the portal, but after their name is in the portal, they can wait as long as they want to pick a new school.

College Basketball News / Yardbarker / March 16
Assessing Kentucky's chances in the NCAA Tournament

Assessing Kentucky's chances in the NCAA Tournament after a tough first-round draw

Despite entering the season with high expectations as the Associated Press No. 9 team in the preseason rankings, key injuries and inconsistency have plagued the Kentucky Wildcats.

John Calipari leading Arkansas to SEC Tournament win shows he wasn't problem at Kentucky 
Biggest flaw for each No. 1 seed in men's March Madness
Three double-digit seeds that could wreck your March Madness bracket
The 'Men's Final Fours since 2000' quiz
Kentucky Wildcats News / Kentucky Wildcats on SI / March 16
Santa Clara's three-point shooting will be a big concern for the Kentucky Wildcats

Santa Clara's three-point shooting will be a big concern for the Kentucky Wildcats

Over the next few days, Big Blue Nation is going to learn a lot about Santa Clara, and one of the first things for fans to know is that the Broncos love to shoot the three-ball.

Otega Oweh News / Stadium Rant / March 16
Kentucky Vs. Santa Clara Preview: Key Matchups, Predictions, And Players To Watch”

Kentucky Vs. Santa Clara Preview: Key Matchups, Predictions, And Players To Watch”

A game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Santa Clara Broncos is just the type of matchup that often becomes a trendy upset pick. The Wildcats and Broncos will do battle on Friday at 12:15 ET to kick off the madness and with so much on the line, it’s critical to get off to a hot start.

Kentucky Wildcats News / Sneakers on SI / March 3

Nike's Denim Kentucky Wildcats Collection Drops for March Madness

Last month, the Kentucky Wildcats reprised their iconic denim uniforms for an SEC showdown against the Tennessee Volunteers. Leading up to the big game,

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