2025–26 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

2025–26 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record22–14 (10–8 SEC)
Head coach
Associate head coachAlvin Brooks III (2nd season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaRupp Arena
2025–26 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Florida 16 – 2   .889 27 – 8   .771
No. 18 Alabama 13 – 5   .722 25 – 9   .735
No. 14 Arkansas † 13 – 5   .722 28 – 8   .778
No. 16 Vanderbilt 11 – 7   .611 27 – 9   .750
No. 23т Tennessee 11 – 7   .611 24 – 11   .686
Texas A&M 11 – 7   .611 22 – 12   .647
Georgia 10 – 8   .556 22 – 11   .667
Missouri 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
Kentucky 10 – 8   .556 22 – 14   .611
Texas 9 – 9   .500 21 – 14   .600
Oklahoma 7 – 11   .389 19 – 15   .559
Auburn 7 – 11   .389 19 – 16   .543
Mississippi State 5 – 13   .278 13 – 19   .406
South Carolina 4 – 14   .222 13 – 19   .406
Ole Miss 4 – 14   .222 15 – 20   .429
LSU 3 – 15   .167 15 – 17   .469
† 2026 SEC tournament winner
As of March 22, 2026
Rankings from AP poll

The 2025–26 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats, founding members of the Southeastern Conference, played their home games at Rupp Arena and were led by Mark Pope in his second season as head coach for the Wildcats.

Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2024–25 season with a record of 24–12, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in a 3-way tie for seventh place in the SEC. The Wildcats earned a number six seed in the SEC tournament, they won the second-round game against Oklahoma then lost to Alabama in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where the Wildcats made it to the Sweet 16 by defeating Troy, 76–57, in the first round and Illinois, 84–75, in the second round. The Wildcats lost to rival Tennessee, 78–65, in the Sweet Sixteen, finishing the season with an overall record of 24–12.[1]

Offseason

Departures

Kentucky had 5 departures from the 2025 team that were lost to exhausted eligibility. On March 31 Kerr Kriisa announced his entry into the NCAA transfer portal.[2] On April 8 Kriisa committed to play for Cincinnati.[3] On April 22 Travis Perry put his name in the transfer portal.[4] On May 4 Perry committed to play for SEC rival Ole Miss.[5]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Koby Brea 4 G 6'7" 206 Senior Washington Heights, NY Graduated
Lamont Butler 1 G 6'2" 204 Senior Moreno Valley, CA Graduated
Andrew Carr 7 F 6'10" 227 Senior West Chester, PA Graduated
Kerr Kriisa 77 G 6'3" 190 Senior Tartu, Estonia Transferred to Cincinnati
Travis Perry 11 G 6'1" 185 Freshman Eddyville, KY Transferred to Ole Miss
Jaxson Robinson 2 G 6'6" 191 Senior Ada, OK Graduated
Amari Williams 22 C 7'0" 265 Senior Nottingham, England Graduated

Incoming transfers

Prior to the end of the 2025 season Kentucky received its first transfer commitment for the next season from forward Kam Williams, who transferred from Tulane, on March 29.[6] On April 5 guard Jaland Lowe, transferring from Pittsburgh, committed to play for Kentucky.[7] Two days later on April 7 former Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate became the third transfer commitment.[8] One day later former Arizona State forward Jayden Quaintance committed. Quaintance was previously a signee with Kentucky in the 2024 class, but decommitted once former coach John Calipari became the Arkansas head coach.[9] On April 21 former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen committed.[10] The last member of the transfer class is center Reece Potter, who committed on May 5 after transferring from Miami (OH)[11]

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous college
Denzel Aberdeen 1 G 6'5" 180 Senior Orlando, FL Transferred from Florida
Mouhamed Dioubate 23 F 6'7" 215 Junior Flushing, NY Transferred from Alabama
Jaland Lowe 15 G 6'1" 180 Junior Missouri City, TX Transferred from Pittsburgh
Jayden Quaintance 21 F 6'10" 225 Sophomore Cleveland, OH Transferred from Arizona State
Reece Potter 33 F 7'1" 215 Junior Lexington, KY Transferred from Miami (OH)
Kam Williams 3 F 6'8" 190 Sophomore Lafayette, LA Transferred from Tulane

Class of 2025 signees

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Jasper Johnson
#8 SG 		Lexington, KY Overtime Elite 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sep 5, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (89)
Malachi Moreno
#1 C 		Georgetown, KY Great Crossing High School 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Aug 16, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (88)
Braydon Hawthorne
#10 F 		Beckley, WV Huntington Prep 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 185 lb (84 kg) May 22, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (83)
Andrija Jelavić
F 		Zagreb, Croatia KK Mega Basket 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Apr 12, 2025 
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2025 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  • "2025 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  • "Kentucky 2025 Basketball Commits". 247Sports. Retrieved May 2, 2025.

Roster

2025–26 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 00 Otega Oweh 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Oklahoma Newark, NJ
G 1 Denzel Aberdeen 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Florida Orlando, FL
G 2 Jasper Johnson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Overtime Elite Lexington, KY
F 3 Kam Williams  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Tulane Lafayette, LA
F 4 Andrija Jelavić 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Mega Superbet Zagreb, Croatia
G 5 Collin Chandler 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Farmington Farmington, UT
G/F 9 Trent Noah  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Harlan County Harlan, KY
C 10 Brandon Garrison  6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Oklahoma State Oklahoma City, OK
G 11 Walker Horn (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Westlake Austin, TX
G 15 Jaland Lowe  6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Pittsburgh Missouri City, TX
F 20 Zach Tow (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Madisonville North Hopkins Madisonville, KY
F 21 Jayden Quaintance  6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) So Arizona State Cleveland, OH
F 22 Braydon Hawthorne 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Huntington Prep Beckley, WV
G 23 Mouhamed Dioubate 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Alabama Flushing, NY
C 24 Malachi Moreno 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Great Crossing Georgetown, KY
C 33 Reece Potter  7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Miami (OH) Lexington, KY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2025*
6:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 9 No. 1 Purdue W 78–65  –
  15 – Johnson   9 – Dioubate   3 – Tied  Rupp Arena (19,906)
Lexington, KY
October 30, 2025*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 9 Georgetown L 70–84  –
  17 – Oweh   6 – Tied   3 – Tied  Rupp Arena (19,251)
Lexington, KY
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+ 		No. 9 Nicholls
BBN United Tipoff Classic 		W 77–51  1–0
  15 – Chandler   9 – Moreno   6 – Aberdeen  Rupp Arena (19,289)
Lexington, KY
November 7, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+ 		No. 9 Valparaiso
BBN United Tipoff Classic 		W 107–59  2–0
  18 – Moreno   10 – Moreno   5 – Tied  Rupp Arena (20,016)
Lexington, KY
November 11, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 9 at No. 12 Louisville
Battle For The Bluegrass 		L 88–96  2–1
  26 – Aberdeen   7 – Aberdeen   5 – Lowe  KFC Yum! Center (22,586)
Louisville, KY
November 14, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+ 		No. 9 Eastern Illinois
BBN United Tipoff Classic 		W 99–53  3–1
  20 – Dioubate   11 – Dioubate   7 – Johnson  Rupp Arena (20,000)
Lexington, KY
November 18, 2025*
6:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 12 vs. No. 17 Michigan State
Champions Classic 		L 66–83  3–2
  12 – Oweh   4 – Tied   3 – Tied  Madison Square Garden (19,327)
New York, NY
November 21, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+ 		No. 12 Loyola (MD) W 88–46  4–2
  13 – Tied   11 – Garrison   6 – Aberdeen  Rupp Arena (19,764)
Lexington, KY
November 26, 2025*
7:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 19 Tennessee Tech W 104–54  5–2
  16 – Tied   11 – Moreno   5 – Chandler  Rupp Arena (19,602)
Lexington, KY
December 2, 2025*
9:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 18 No. 16 North Carolina
ACC–SEC Challenge, rivalry 		L 64–67  5–3
  16 – Oweh   9 – Moreno   4 – Aberdeen  Rupp Arena (20,029)
Lexington, KY
December 5, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 18 vs. No. 11 Gonzaga L 59–94  5–4
  16 – Oweh   5 – Oweh   5 – Oweh  Bridgestone Arena (18,507)
Nashville, TN
December 9, 2025*
7:00 p.m., SECN 		NC Central W 103–67  6–4
  22 – Johnson   7 – Tied   8 – Chandler  Rupp Arena (19,247)
Lexington, KY
December 13, 2025*
7:30 p.m., ESPN 		Indiana
Rivalry 		W 72–60  7–4
  14 – Dioubate   12 – Dioubate   3 – Moreno  Rupp Arena (20,061)
Lexington, KY
December 20, 2025*
12:30 p.m., CBS 		vs. No. 22 St. John's
CBS Sports Classic 		W 78–66  8–4
  22 – Oweh   9 – Moreno   3 – Tied  State Farm Arena 
Atlanta, GA
December 23, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+ 		Bellarmine W 99–85  9–4
  26 – Williams   8 – Oweh   10 – Oweh  Rupp Arena (19,706)
Lexington, KY
SEC regular season
January 3, 2026
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 14 Alabama L 74–89  9–5
(0–1) 		 22 – Oweh   8 – Tied   3 – Oweh  Coleman Coliseum (13,474)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 7, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Missouri L 68–73  9–6
(0–2) 		 20 – Oweh   5 – Oweh   4 – Tied  Rupp Arena (19,085)
Lexington, KY
January 10, 2026
8:30 p.m., SECN 		Mississippi State W 92–68  10–6
(1–2) 		 22 – Oweh   8 – Moreno   6 – Moreno  Rupp Arena (19,725)
Lexington, KY
January 13, 2026
7:00 p.m., SECN 		at LSU W 75–74  11–6
(2–2) 		 21 – Oweh   8 – Moreno   4 – Aberdeen  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,671)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 17, 2026
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 24 Tennessee
Rivalry 		W 80–78  12–6
(3–2) 		 22 – Aberdeen   6 – Tied   4 – Johnson  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
January 21, 2026
7:00 p.m., SECN 		Texas W 85–80  13–6
(4–2) 		 19 – Aberdeen   7 – Tied   6 – Moreno  Rupp Arena (19,298)
Lexington, KY
January 24, 2026
11:00 a.m., ESPN 		Ole Miss W 72–63  14–6
(5–2) 		 23 – Oweh   9 – Moreno   5 – Aberdeen  Rupp Arena (19,831)
Lexington, KY
January 27, 2026
9:00 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 18 Vanderbilt L 55–80  14–7
(5–3) 		 20 – Oweh   8 – Moreno   3 – Oweh  Memorial Gymnasium (10,195)
Nashville, TN
January 31, 2026
6:30 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 15 Arkansas W 85–77  15–7
(6–3) 		 24 – Oweh   8 – Oweh   3 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 4, 2026
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Oklahoma W 94–78  16–7
(7–3) 		 24 – Oweh   11 – Garrison   5 – Aberdeen  Rupp Arena (19,394)
Lexington, KY
February 7, 2026
8:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 25 Tennessee
Rivalry 		W 74–71  17–7
(8–3) 		 21 – Oweh   7 – Garrison   3 – Tied  Rupp Arena (20,123)
Lexington, KY
February 14, 2026
3:00 p.m., ABC 		No. 25 at No. 14 Florida
Rivalry 		L 83–92  17–8
(8–4) 		 19 – Aberdeen   11 – Moreno   4 – Aberdeen  O'Connell Center (11,230)
Gainesville, FL
February 17, 2026
9:00 p.m., ESPN 		Georgia L 78–86  17–9
(8–5) 		 28 – Oweh   9 – Dioubate   4 – Tied  Rupp Arena (19,780)
Lexington, KY
February 21, 2026
8:30 p.m., ESPN 		at Auburn L 74–75  17–10
(8–6) 		 29 – Oweh   7 – Tied   4 – Moreno  Neville Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
February 24, 2026
7:00 p.m., SECN 		at South Carolina W 72–63  18–10
(9–6) 		 19 – Aberdeen   11 – Moreno   5 – Aberdeen  Colonial Life Arena (11,318)
Columbia, SC
February 28, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 25 Vanderbilt W 91–77  19–10
(10–6) 		 23 – Tied   6 – Moreno   5 – Moreno  Rupp Arena (20,075)
Lexington, KY
March 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Texas A&M L 85–96  19–11
(10–7) 		 24 – Oweh   9 – Oweh   8 – Aberdeen  Reed Arena (8,062)
College Station, TX
March 7, 2026
4:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 5 Florida
Rivalry 		L 77–84  19–12
(10–8) 		 28 – Oweh   6 – Tied   4 – Tied  Rupp Arena (20,140)
Lexington, KY
SEC Tournament
March 11, 2026
12:30 p.m., SECN 		(9) vs. (16) LSU
First Round 		W 87–82  20–12
  23 – Oweh   8 – Oweh   3 – Tied  Bridgestone Arena (12,722)
Nashville, TN
March 12, 2026
12:30 p.m., SECN 		(9) vs. (8) Missouri
Second Round 		W 78–72  21–12
  21 – Oweh   7 – Dioubate   7 – Aberdeen  Bridgestone Arena (15,719)
Nashville, TN
March 13, 2026
1:00 p.m., ESPN 		(9) vs. (1) No. 4 Florida
Quarterfinals/Rivalry 		L 63–71  21–13
  17 – Aberdeen   5 – Tied   3 – Aberdeen  Bridgestone Arena (17,864)
Nashville, TN
NCAA Tournament
March 20, 2026*
12:15 p.m., CBS 		(7 MW) vs. (10 MW) Santa Clara
First Round 		W 89–84 OT 22–13
  35 – Oweh   8 – Tied   7 – Oweh  Enterprise Center (17,192)
St. Louis, MO
March 22, 2026*
2:45 p.m., CBS 		(7 MW) vs. (2) No. 6 Iowa State
Second Round 		L 63–82  22–14
  20 – Aberdeen   8 – Oweh   3 – Moreno  Enterprise Center (16,348)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

See also: 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP99121918RVRVRVRVRV—RVRVRV25RV—RV—RV
Coaches98131818RVRVRVRVRV—RVRVRVRVRV—RV—RV

References

  1. ^ Roberts, Ben (March 29, 2025). "Kentucky's basketball season ends with lopsided NCAA Tournament loss to rival Tennessee". kentucky.com. Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  2. ^ Roberts, Ben (March 31, 2025). "Kerr Kriisa is the first UK basketball player to make a move. He's in the transfer portal". kentucky.com. Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  3. ^ Drummond, Cameron (April 8, 2025). "After one season with Kentucky, Kerr Kriisa has found a new school to play for". kentucky.com. Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  4. ^ Black, Ryan (April 22, 2025). "Kentucky basketball's Travis Perry, in-state star, puts name into NCAA transfer portal". courier-journal.com. Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  5. ^ Black, Ryan (May 4, 2025). "Kentucky basketball's Travis Perry, in-state star, puts name into NCAA transfer portal". clarionledger.com. Clarion Ledger. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  6. ^ Drummond, Cameron (March 29, 2025). "Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball's loss to Oakland in the NCAA Tournament". kentucky.com. Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  7. ^ Black, Ryan (April 5, 2025). "Jaland Lowe commits to Kentucky basketball: What to know about transfer portal addition". courier-journal.com. Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  8. ^ Black, Ryan (April 7, 2025). "Mouhamed Dioubate picks Kentucky basketball: What to know about transfer portal addition". courier-journal.com. Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  9. ^ Givony, Jonathan (April 8, 2025). "Ex-Arizona State star Jayden Quaintance recommits to Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  10. ^ Black, Ryan (April 21, 2025). "Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky basketball: What to know about transfer portal guard". courier-journal.com. Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  11. ^ Black, Ryan (May 5, 2025). "Reece Potter commits to Kentucky basketball: What to know about transfer portal addition". courier-journal.com. Courier-Journal. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
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