It's finally gameday between the #9 Kentucky Wildcats and #12 Louisville Cardinals. It has been a long time since this game had this much anticipation, but all college basketball fans are excited for this matchup.
The biggest wildcard heading into this season for Kentucky basketball was, without question, the true-freshman seven-footer Malachi Moreno. The McDonald's All-American played his high school basketball at Great Crossing in Georgetown, so some questioned how he would adjust to college competition.
With preseason behind them, the Kentucky Wildcats are setting their sights on a national championship. Given the high expectations, is a Sweet 16 run sufficient, or should the Wildcats aim for even greater achievements?
With star big man Jayden Quaintance sidelined heading into the season, Kentucky will need Brandon Garrison and Malachi Moreno to step up and provide quality minutes down low as he continues to work his way back onto the court.
Last season, Brandon Garrison showed flashes of what his full potential can be, but it also came at a cost, as he would have really good plays mixed with costly decisions leading to uncharacteristic turnovers.
One of Kentucky's returning players from last season has high hopes of making a big jump in his second year in Mark Pope's system. He's going to need some sort of jump in production, especially early while incoming transfer big man Jayden Quaintance rehabs from an ACL injury.
The college basketball season is right around the corner, and not a lot of Kentucky fans are talking about the frontcourt on this basketball team. The only player who is back from last season is Brandon Garrison, but the rest of this frontcourt is brand new.
Oftentimes, the Kentucky Wildcats play a lot of very talented teams in non-conference play, and that will be no different this season. The Wildcats will play St John's, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, Gonzaga, and Indiana.
In Mark Pope's offense, it is very important that he has a big man who is able to distribute the basketball. Last season, Amari Williams was excellent in this role, especially later into the season.
Mark Pope's 2025-26 Kentucky team is looking like one of the best teams in all of college basketball. It doesn't matter how good a team looks on paper, there are always going to be some concerns heading into the season.
One player on the Kentucky basketball team who isn't drawing a ton of attention from the fan base right now is center Malachi Moreno. The reason his name isn't being discussed as much as some other players is likely because of how good Jayden Quaintance is going to be, but Moreno is playing really good basketball right now.
It's no secret the Kentucky Wildcats are going to be one of the best teams in college hoops this season, and this is why they will likely be ranked in the top ten to start the season.
One of the big offseason topics for the Kentucky basketball team is about the injury and rehab of Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance. The former Sun Devil is projected to be a top five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but he is coming off an ACL tear.
Jayden Quaintance suffered an ACL injury in February when playing at Arizona State. Now at Kentucky, he's using his rehab to absorb all kinds of knowledge about how Mark Pope runs his system while he is forced to sit on the sidelines and watch.
On Tuesday, Kentucky returning stars Brandon Garrison and Otega Oweh spoke with the media for the first time since the end of last season. Garrison had a lot of great things to say about the offseason, but one question he was asked was how having a coach who was big in the NBA has helped the forwards on this roster.
Mark Pope returned some players from last season's roster, and one of these players, who many believe has an elite upside, is center Brandon Garrison. In his first season playing for the Wildcats, Garrison averaged 5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game for Pope's Wildcats.
One player who quickly became a fan favorite in Lexington, thanks to his high intensity on the floor, is center Brandon Garrison. Last season for the Wildcats, Garrison averaged 5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game for the Wildcats coming off the bench.
Kentucky has just three returning players for next season in Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler and Trent Noah. Mark Pope and his staff hauled in an impressive transfer portal class to go along with the returnees and the two incoming Freshmen, Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.
Kentucky basketball is returning just three players from last season's roster in Brandon Garrison, Trent Noah and Collin Chandler. After bringing in many newcomers such as two freshmen and seven transfers, Mark Pope is asking Garrison to become the leader of the team.
Mark Pope will have a frontcourt during the 2025-26 season that is full of new faces aside from Brandon Garrison. The Kentucky frontcourt has added Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance, Alabama transfer Mouhamed Dioubate, Andrija Jelavic from Croatia, Miami of Ohio transfer Reece Potter, and five-star freshman Malachi Moreno.
Kentucky basketball will have one of its best players in Mark Pope’s first year as the program’s head coach returning for at least another season, as reported by Joe Tipton on On3.
Oklahoma State lost various key players last offseason, but one departure seemed to hurt more than the rest. The Cowboys’ 2024 offseason was filled with change.
In the aftermath of a thrilling SEC showdown between Oklahoma and Kentucky, an unfortunate incident marred the conclusion of the game when a fan threw a beer can toward the Wildcats' players as they left the court.
An Oklahoma fan did not respond gracefully to Wednesday's loss against Kentucky. Otega Owen hit a go-ahead layup in the final seconds to secure an 83-82 victory for the Wildcats at Lloyd Noble Center.
There’s a first time for everything, and fans watching the Jackson State vs. Kentucky game on Friday night were witness to a never-before-seen moment. Midway through the first half, Tigers forward Dylan Canoville lost his shoe and attempted to chase down a play with it in his hand.