Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope looks on during the second half against the Florida Gators at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Dick Vitale calls out Kentucky's roster in loss to No. 5 Florida

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Mar 7, 2026 9:08 PM ET

Big things were expected for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team this season. They entered the regular season as the No. 9-ranked team in the country, and reportedly spent as much as $22 million in NIL money to build the roster.

It has not panned out as expected or hoped, and longtime college basketball analyst Dick Vitale is not at all impressed with any of it.

Dick Vitale calls out Kentucky's roster

Vitale was on the call for Saturday's Kentucky game, which it lost to the Florida Gators , 84-77, and he used that as an opportunity to call into question the roster head coach Mark Pope built with the money he spent.

Simply put, he thinks for that amount of money, they should have been able to put together a better roster.

Dick Vitale: "I've done several now Kentucky games... $22 million this team [reportedly has spent] in terms of the NIL for their players. I think in $22 million, they could have put together a better roster than they did. I really do." ️

(h/t: @DanielHagerOn3) pic.twitter.com/xZ7iOBysz8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 8, 2026

It is not really an unfair criticism, given the way the season has gone. With Saturday's game, Kentucky finished the regular season a disappointing 19-12, and only 10-8 in SEC play. They went from being the preseason No. 9 team in the country to being completely unranked by the end of it.

They are also backing into the conference tournament, having ended the regular season with four defeats in their past six games.

Expectations are always high at Kentucky, given the history of the program, and the big money they are now spending through NIL is only going to raise the expectations even more. Barring some sort of unexpected postseason run, they will have fallen far short this season.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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