Another March Madness disaster eventually set up a whirlwind offseason for Kentucky, and this program looks markedly different than it did six or seven months ago. The Wildcats finished last season in 2nd place in the SEC but had their postseason dreams quickly undone by 14-seed Oakland in the Tournament’s opening round. One of the best offensive teams in the nation went by the wayside, and change was on the horizon.
After 15 seasons in Lexington, John Calipari’s tenure came to an end as he bolted for Arkansas. With a lack of postseason success in recent years, this divorce likely came at the perfect time, though the Wildcats certainly picked up the pieces in a hurry. Former Wildcat player and recent BYU coach Mark Pope took over as the new head coach and could be set up for success.
There’s already a lot of roster turmoil in the current world of collegiate athletics, but nearly every single player on this Kentucky roster is brand new to the program. Pope and his new staff heavily utilized the Transfer Portal in an effort to build a winner right off the bat, with a few freshmen recruits coming to town as well. No matter how things transpire this season, it’ll certainly be a brand new group of faces for the fans in Lexington to love and hate over the coming months.
A brand new lineup can mean good things and also bad things, but what exactly does this combination of players mean for the Wildcats? We’re going to dive into each important piece of this new-look roster and figure out what we can realistically expect out of Kentucky this year. Does Pope’s debut as Kentucky’s head coach begin a road back to postseason legitimacy?