2025–26 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
| 2025–26 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Alvin Brooks III (2nd season) |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Rupp Arena |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team will represent the University of Kentucky during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats, founding members of the Southeastern Conference, play their home games at Rupp Arena and are 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 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Senior | Orlando, FL | Transferred from Florida | |
| Mouhamed Dioubate | F | 6'7" | 215 | Junior | Flushing, NY | Transferred from Alabama | |
| Jaland Lowe | G | 6'1" | 180 | Junior | Missouri City, TX | Transferred from Pittsburgh | |
| Jayden Quaintance | F | 6'10" | 225 | Sophomore | Cleveland, OH | Transferred from Arizona State | |
| Reece Potter | F | 7'1" | 215 | Junior | Lexington, KY | Transferred from Miami (OH) | |
| Kam Williams | F | 6'8" | 190 | Sophomore | Lafayette, LA | Transferred from Tulane |
Class of 2025 signees
| 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) | ||||||
| Andrija Jelavic NR |
Croatia | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Apr 12, 2025 | ||
| Recruit ratings: No ratings found | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
| 2025–26 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 24, 2025* TBD |
Purdue | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | |||||||||
| October 30, 2025* TBD |
Georgetown | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | |||||||||
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 11, 2025* TBD |
at Louisville | KFC Yum Center Louisville, KY | |||||||||
| November 18, 2025* ESPN |
vs. Michigan State Champions Classic |
Madison Square Garden New York City | |||||||||
| November 21, 2025* TBD |
Loyola (MD) | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | |||||||||
| November 26, 2025* TBD |
Tennessee Tech | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | |||||||||
| December 2, 2025* ESPN |
North Carolina ACC–SEC Challenge |
Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | |||||||||
| December 5, 2025* |
vs. Gonzaga | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN | |||||||||
| December 9, 2025* TBD |
NC Central | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | |||||||||
| December 13, 2025* |
Indiana | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | |||||||||
| December 20, 2025* CBS |
vs. St. John's CBS Sports Classic |
State Farm Arena Atlanta, GA | |||||||||
| December 23, 2025* |
Bellarmine | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY | |||||||||
| SEC Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 11–15, 2026 |
vs. | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN | |||||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||||
Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan (April 8, 2025). "Ex-Arizona State star Jayden Quaintance recommits to Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.