Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope walks onto the court Thursday, March 27, 2025, during practice ahead of the Sweet 16 March Madness tournament game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Could a surprise player jump into the starting lineup for Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats?

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 10:45 AM ET

College basketball is a lot closer than most fans think, and Kentucky fans are quite excited. This is one of the most highly anticipated college basketball seasons in Lexington in some time, as it looks like Mark Pope is going to have a top ten team to begin the season.

This roster seems to have most of the starting five figured out, but a new wildcard really could shift up one of the positions in the frontcourt. Croatian power forward Andrija Jelavic got to campus last week, and he could shake up the starting lineup if he is as good as advertised.

Most members of Big Blue Nation believe Jelavic and Alabama transfer Mo Dioubate will compete to start at power forward for this team, but they are very different players. Dioubate is the player most have penciled in as the starter right now, but what would it take for Jelavic to take over?

Dioubate is more of a defensive and rebounding-focused forward, while Jelavic is an offensive-minded player. While these two players both have opposite main skillsets, they are both well-rounded. Jelavic is a solid defender, rebounder, and shot blocker. Dioubate is quite serviceable on the offensive end of the floor, cleaning up the glass and putting the ball back up.

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

While Jelavic is better on the offensive end than he is on the defensive end, he is no slouch on defense, and this is why he could get the nod in the Mark Pope offense. He is a sharpshooter from three, and at his size, with his ability to handle the ball, Coach Pope might want him to start.

These players could be used in different games based on their skill sets, but knowing how Coach Pope likes to play, it seems like having Jelavic starting would make a lot of sense for this team.

Jelavic is a 21-year-old freshman who has been playing for one of the better pro teams in Europe, so the change to SEC basketball shouldn't be a massive leap.

Both Jelavic and Dioubate are very good players and will play a massive role, but based on play style, Jelavic might end up getting the nod when Kentucky plays its first exhibition on October 24th.

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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