Mark Pope is already making a major impact in Lexington, and the 2025-26 Kentucky Wildcats are shaping up to be one of the nation’s most exciting teams. Jeff Borzelo of ESPN, who placed Kentucky at No. 10 in his early Top 25 rankings, highlighted how the Wildcats have revamped their roster through the transfer portal and recruiting. Kentucky’s backcourt will be stacked with both talent and depth. They added three key transfers — guards Jaland Lowe (Pitt), Kam Williams (Tulane), and Denzel Aberdeen (Florida) — and also secured five-star recruit Jasper Johnson, one of the premier prospects in the country.
Additionally, there’s a strong chance that leading scorer Otega Oweh returns after putting up 16.2 points per game last season. Reserve guard Collin Chandler is also expected to be back, giving Pope even more weapons on the perimeter.
Jeff Borzelo projects the Wildcats’ starting lineup as follows:
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Jaland Lowe (16.8 PPG at Pitt)
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Jasper Johnson (No. 17 in ESPN 100)
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Otega Oweh (16.2 PPG at Kentucky)
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Mouhamed Dioubate (7.2 PPG at Alabama)
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Jayden Quaintance (9.4 PPG at Arizona State)
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With a mix of battle-tested scorers, top-tier freshman talent, and an improved frontcourt defense, Pope’s team looks primed for a deep tournament run. If everything clicks, Kentucky could return to the Final Four for the first time since their 38-1 season in 2014-15, when they lost to Wisconsin. Since then, the Wildcats have had some near misses — like Elite Eight exits in 2017 (to North Carolina) and 2019 (to Auburn) — but struggled to make a deep postseason push until Pope’s arrival reignited hope this past year.
