John Calipari departed for Arkansas after 15 years helming the Wildcats, but the program found a more than suitable replacement for their Hall of Fame coach. Former player and captain Mark Pope took the job after his recent success with BYU and hit the ground running, exceeding many expectations in year one with the Wildcats.
Pope and his new coaching staff had a transformative offseason, basically building the roster from scratch using the transfer portal. What was essential a random mix of veterans and intriguing talent worked well for Kentucky, as the Wildcats finished the year 24-12 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the pandemic.
The downside of that wild roster construction is that a number of important pieces exhausted their college eligibility last season. The Wildcats got great minutes and production out of Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, and Jaxson Robinson among others. However, Pope’s staff clearly had far fewer holes to fill than last offseason, entering town with basically nobody left on the roster.
We’ll next look closely at the current state of the roster, which is a notable mix of returning talent and new faces in town. Kentucky struck gold using both recruiting and new transfers and have a complete lineup that should be even more successful than last season. A lot can happen in the SEC but can this Wildcats team be the best of the bunch under Pope’s leadership?
Projected Starters
Guard – Jaland Lowe (Junior)
Last season was a breakout campaign for Lowe at Pittsburgh, but the Panthers won’t reap the benefits of his growth any longer. The former Top 100 prospect put up 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, earning Third Team All-ACC honors. He’ll now transition to a major role running the point for the Wildcats while hoping to improve his outside shooting numbers, the big hole in his game last year.
Guard – Otega Oweh (Senior)
He may have put up nice numbers as an underclassman at Oklahoma, but Oweh really took a step forward in his first season with Kentucky last year. A major part of the offense, Oweh averaged 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds and is clearly the most important returning face. He’s a veteran presence who affects the game in a number of ways and will be counted on even more as a senior.
Guard – Denzel Aberdeen (Senior)
Likely a move directly connected to NIL, Aberdeen joins the Wildcats after three seasons down at Florida. A bench piece throughout his career with the Gators, he put up 7.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in a reserve role last season while winning a national championship. Kentucky is giving him not just NIL but a chance to really shine in a starring role after showing flashes of brilliance in the backcourt.
Forward – Mouhamed Dioubate (Junior)
Another former SEC backup, Dioubate was a reserve with Alabama for each of the last two seasons but now gets his shot with Kentucky. He took a step forward as a sophomore with 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game off the bench while making just under 65% of his 2-point field goal attempts. He has offensive versatility and projects as a very solid rebounder and now gets his shot in Kentucky’s starting five.
Forward – Brandon Garrison (Junior)
Another returning face from last year’s success, Garrison came to Kentucky after starting for Oklahoma State as a freshman. Year one with the Wildcats saw him come off the bench, averaging 5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. The 6-11 center from Oklahoma City currently stands as the favorite to start at the 5, though the Wildcats are hoping to see more out of him in year two in Pope’s system.
Key Reserves
Guard – Jasper Johnson (Freshman)
A 6-4 left-handed combo guard originally from Atlanta, Johnson is the highest rated recruit in this freshman class and someone who could make an impact right away. His shotmaking ability is his greatest asset, with solid numbers both outside the arc and in the mid-range. We’ll see how his game adjusts at the collegiate level but he’s someone who can score in bunches and really impact a game during those stretches.
Guard – Kam Williams (Sophomore)
During his freshman season at Tulane, Williams really stood out and was part of the All-Freshman team in the AAC. He averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while nailing 41% of his 3-pointers in a solid season for the Green Wave. He’ll now transition to Kentucky and becomes a key bench piece in this backcourt, especially if he can take his game to the next level now with a year of experience under his belt.
Forward – Andrija Jelavic (Freshman)
A top European prospect, Jelavic is a 6-11 forward out of Serbia with significant international experience. He’s already 21 years old and has played notable games in European leagues, projecting as a great scorer around the rim with solid size and athleticism. Expect him to fight for reserve minutes in the frontcourt even as a first-year college player.
Guard – Collin Chandler (Sophomore)
A Top 30 recruit from the class of 2022, Chandler originally committed to Pope at BYU before serving his LDS mission and is coming off a decent first year with Kentucky. Chandler played in a backup role for the Wildcats, putting up just 2.7 points and 1.0 rebounds per game in limited minutes, but he’s a solid shooter and attacker who could grow into a bigger role in year two.
Forward – Jayden Quaintance (Sophomore)
In many ways last season did not go according to plan for Quaintance, a 5-star recruit who landed at Arizona State. He was All-Freshman and All-Defense in the Big 12, averaging 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game for the Sun Devils, but his season ended early with a knee injury. Quaintance is still recovering from his ACL tear and will not return in time for the season, but if they can get him healthy in the lineup by season’s end he can be a game changer.
Center – Malachi Moreno (Freshman)
Another 4-star recruit in this talented class, Moreno is a 6-11 center originally from Georgetown, Kentucky. The highlight here is Moreno’s size and his efficiency, and not only as someone plugging up space under the basket. He has the look of a top-level rebounder and shot blocker who can be a producer on offense inside the arc.
Schedule Outlook
Many eyes will be on those exhibitions against Purdue and Georgetown, though the games start mattering in November. After two at home, the Wildcats head to Louisville on November 11th to face their bitter in-state rivals. A week later it’s off to Madison Square Garden, facing Michigan State for this year’s matchup in the Champions Classic. Once again Kentucky isn’t in an actual holiday tournament, though they’re hosting a few mid-majors as part of their BBN United Tipoff Classic.
December begins by welcoming North Carolina, as the Tar Heels are in town as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Just a few days later the Wildcats head over to Nashville for a highly anticipated rematch with Gonzaga. December 13th offers a home date with Indiana, but the following Saturday might be the most notable game on the nonconference slate with the Wildcats facing off against Rick Pitino and St. John’s in Atlanta for the CBS Sports Classic.
SEC play will certainly be challenging, starting on the road at Alabama on January 3rd and there are almost no easy outings in this league. The Wildcats get two looks apiece at Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and defending champion Florida, with those two games against the Gators in the back-half of the schedule. Nearly every road trip will be difficult, including their only matchups against Arkansas, Auburn, and Texas A&M before the regular season ends on March 7.
Season Outlook
Around this time last season Kentucky was entering a brand new era and while there were certainly heightened expectations there were a lot of unknowns. Pope quite literally pieced together a roster of misfits who had never played with one another and took that team to the Sweet Sixteen after success in the SEC. This year’s team isn’t quite as pieced together with a great combination of returning talent, young pieces, and veteran additions.
The conversations start with Oweh who really took a step forward and became the offensive leader for these Wildcats last season. He’s back for one final rodeo and will be even more important in this backcourt, but let’s not pretend like he has to do all the heavy lifting on his own.
Lowe is coming off a brilliant second season and was already a top-level point guard in the ACC, meaning he can certainly replace that aspect of Butler’s game from last year. Williams will provide a great edge off the bench while Johnson’s shooting ability should make him a key asset for this team. Beyond that it’s all about taking that next step forward, with the Wildcats hoping Aberdeen can grow into a major role after solid work as a reserve with Florida.
Questions remain in the frontcourt and we won’t have answers to them until at least when the season begins. Garrison is the familiar weapon in the lineup, having done solid work last year, but he didn’t quite produce exactly as expected as a sophomore. Kentucky could lean on a freshman like Moreno, a 7-footer with high-level potential. In a perfect world, Quaintance returns from his leg injury midseason and provides the punch that Kentucky needs, but his situation is still extremely fluid.
All in all the depth of talent on this roster is significant, even compared to some of the highly talented teams in the SEC. When healthy and on their game, Kentucky has at least ten if not more players who can legitimately be productive weapons in this rotation. Pope and his staff have quite the job to figure out the best lineups and combinations but they clearly have something brewing here in Lexington again. It’s all a matter of how everything comes together and if they can top what happened last year.