STILL FROM VIDEO: From incoming freshmen to seasoned players from the portal, UK basketball coach Mark Pope breaks down each new player on his 2025 squad. Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Will Kentucky run a platoon this season with the deepest roster in college basketball?

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Oct 27, 2025 12:03 PM ET

There were a lot of positive takeaways for Kentucky fans in the dominant exhibition win over #1 Purdue, but one of the top takeaways was how fresh the Wildcats looked late in the game.

Kentucky's minutes were a lot more spread out among their deep roster than what Purdue did, and the Boilermakers started to leave shots short late in the second half.

It is normal to be a bit gassed in an exhibition game as the players are getting back used to playing a full game, but Kentucky ran so many players out on the floor that they didn't seem to struggle with being tired one bit.

It did seem like the Wildcats' depth played a role in this game, and they were without Jaland Lowe, Jayden Quaintance, and Reece Potter.

Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Before this exhibition, Kentucky had already been deemed the deepest team in college basketball, and now that seems beyond safe to say.

The question of the day is whether or not Coach Mark Pope would have any interest in running a platoon. Obviously, Kentucky ran a platoon under John Calipari, which was highly successful, leading to one of the best college teams of all time.

Coach Pope seems to have this type of elite depth. Frankly, Coach Pope has 13 players who are capable of playing, which is going to make it very interesting to see what the staff does once Lowe and Quaintance are back.

Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Whether or not Pope runs the platoon will have to do with how different lineups play with one another. With a lot of players out against Purdue, it was hard to get a feel for this, so it is something Coach Pope will have to decide over the next few weeks.

This basketball team has so much talent that it just keeps coming in waves. The Wildcats' bench was so much better than Purdue's, it was scary. If Kentucky goes to their bench and there isn't a big drop off, this team will be near impossible to beat, and that is what it looked like on Friday.

Whether or not Pope runs a platoon, the depth this Kentucky team has will give the Wildcats an advantage in every game they play this season. Like we saw on Friday, even if a player has to miss a game, there is so much talent that the Wildcats will be okay. It's not to say Pope will run a platoon this season, but he has the talent to do it.

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

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