2026 Tournament PreviewCoach Mark Pope has Kentucky in the Big Dance for the second consecutive year, though with a lower seed this time. The offense's strength is guard play, led by seniors Otega Oweh (18.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Denzel Aberdeen (13.2 ppg, 3.6 apg). Sophomore guard Collin Chandler (9.9 ppg) is the best three-point shooter at 42.7 percent. While the team has length (top 20 in average height), it doesn't help much on the defensive glass, as Kentucky is 163rd nationally in rebound rate. Four-star, 7-foot freshman Malachi Moreno (8.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg) took on more minutes with prized transfer Jayden Quaintance, a 6-10 sophomore, limited to four games with a knee injury. Quaintance last played Jan. 7 but is hopeful for the tournament. The Wildcats are top 40 in both offensive and defensive efficiency (per KenPom), but the ceiling appears limited. Kentucky is winless vs. the NET top 12, and that's the caliber of competition it will need to beat to get to the second weekend.
Scouting Report Offense Defense
Efficiency N/A N/A
Pace N/A
Effective FG% 53.35 (87) 48.91 (63)
Turnover % 13.34 (84) 13.55 (251)
Off Reb % 33.23 (85) 29.98 (158)
FTA/FGA 37.37 (119) 36.37 (223)
3P% 34.23 (157) 31.82 (55)
2P% 54.67 (68) 49.69 (88)
FT% 72.68 (178) 73.27 (235)
3PA/FGA 39.68 (180) 39.91 (198)
Totals
Per Game
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Kentucky
Southeastern
Rankings
NET: #28 RPI: #39
Record
Overall: (22-14) Conference: (10-8) Quad 1: (7-12) Quad 2: (6-2) Quad 3: (3-0) Quad 4: (6-0)
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Kentucky Depth Chart
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Kentucky Starting Lineup - Last 5 Games
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