Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope’s first season in Lexington was quite a success.
His Wildcats beat Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, Florida, and Tennessee (twice) while also winning both an SEC Tournament game and an NCAA Tournament game, a mark Kentucky hadn’t seen since 2019.
Considering Pope had to construct his roster from almost all transfer portal players (most in their final season of eligibility), it makes his first season at UK feel like an even bigger win.
Last year, the team’s offense was quite explosive at times but one area they struggled in against the “better” teams was defense. They had a couple of “impact” defenders in Amari Williams and Lamont Butler, but most of the individual players’ strengths were on offense.
Coming into this season, Pope has landed two more quality defenders in the transfer portal. In fact, Jayden Quaintance (No. 1) and Mohamed Dioubate (No. 4) both rank inside the top-5 in regards players and their defensive rating.
It’s no secret that the Southeastern Conference has become the standard in college basketball, leading to almost every league game Kentucky plays being a heavyweight fight.
Being able to lean on both Dioubate and Quaintance as defensive anchors will give the Wildcats premium rim protection while also improving the switch-heavy defense Kentucky ran a season ago.
Dioubate and Quaintance are joined by Denzel Aberdeen (guard), Jaland Lowe (guard) and Kam Williams (forward) in what is one of the best transfer classes in the country.
Tweet of the Day
Excited to have these guys on campus!
Headlines
2025 CATSPY Awards Presented – UK Athletics
The 23rd annual CATSPY Awards were held Monday at Memorial Coliseum.
Will Deone Walker be the Steal of the NFL Draft? – Vaught’s Views
Buffalo sure is excited to have him.
Damian Lillard to have surgery for torn Achilles tendon – ESPN
Playing next season is now in jeopardy.
Dowdell Wants to be More Than a Short Yardage RB – Vaught’s Views
He could be a three-down back.
Commanders, D.C. reach deal for new $4B stadium at RFK site – ESPN
Another major stadium to be built.
Where UK’s signees finished in the 2025 On3 150 rankings – KSR
Malachi Moreno went way up the list.
Latest MLB Power Rankings – CBS Sports
Mets are rolling.
Baker-Mazara will spend final season of CBB outside the SEC – KSR
Headed to USC.
Why did Shedeur Sanders fall in the NFL draft – USA Today
Is there a clear answer?
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