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Kentucky basketball makes the top eight for an elite 2026 five-star combo guard
Feb 8, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope talks to his players during the second half gainst the South Carolina Gamecocks at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Ikenna Alozie is one of the nation's top combo guards, as 247Sports has him ranked as the 10th overall player in the 2026 class. Joe Tipton of On3 announced that Alozie is cutting the list of schools he is considering down to eight.

Those eight schools include Kentucky, Louisville, Alabama, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Arizona, and Washington.

Kentucky offered Alozie back in October of 2024, so it is clear that Mark Pope has made constant contact. As is the case with any five-star, Alozie is being pursued by a lot of top schools in the nation, so it will be a tough battle for Pope to win. Alozie is excellent at getting to the rim and continually improving his jump shot, which will be imperative in Pope's offense.

Kentucky needs to try and get a visit aligned, but this is a name to monitor as Pope starts looking to add players to the 2026 class.

Here is the scouting report on Alozie from Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports, "Alozie is a powerful and athletic lead guard who has elite burst with the ball in his hands. He combines extreme speed and power to be able to get downhill like few other players in the country. He accelerates out of his moves off the dribble, has a knack for attacking his defender’s back in transition, and is consistently able to drive through contact. He’s a threat to finish explosively above the rim or with touch and body control. He’s not quite as big as advertised but compensates with very long arms (6-foot-6 wingspan) and is still able to often zip passes over top of the defense. Both his decision making and shooting can be a bit inconsistent at times, but he’s progressing in both areas. He has good elevation and rotation on a clean release when he’s spotting up, but can spray some shots when he’s rushed or on the move. He also has a bit of a high dribble at times. Defensively, his length and athleticism give him a lot of potential, and he's already very dangerous scrambling around the floor to make plays and as a perimeter rebounder."


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

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