Kentucky has won eight NCAA Tournament championships, and expectations are high for second-year coach Mark Pope to make a deep run this coming March as the No. 9 Wildcats prepare to open their season at home Tuesday against Nicholls in Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky was 24-12 and reached the Sweet 16 last season. The Wildcats haven’t been to the Final Four since 2015 and parted ways with coach John Calipari after a string of disappointing postseason showings.
Pope inherited a stripped-down roster and quickly recruited a transfer-heavy team. The transfer portal will still be a big factor for his second squad, along with some key returnees.
Guard Otega Oweh, who was last season’s leading scorer (16.2 points per game), turned down the NBA to return for another season at Kentucky. Center Brandon Garrison (5.9 points) and sophomore guards Collin Chandler and Trent Noah (2.7 points apiece) were also part of last season’s squad, and figure to contribute again.
Pope’s massive transfer haul is led by Arizona State big man Jayden Quaintance (9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds per game last year) and Pitt point guard Jaland Lowe (16.8 points, 5.5 assists). Former Florida veteran Denzel Aberdeen (7.7 points) and Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate (7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds) also should contribute, while Tulane wing Kam Williams (9.3 points, 41.2% 3-point shooting) could be a wild card.
Add in standout freshman guard Jasper Johnson and post Malachi Moreno, along with international big man Andrija Jelavic, and Kentucky has talent and depth in spades.
Just how much talent became clear in an exhibition opener in which Kentucky rolled preseason No. 1 Purdue 78-65. That win came without Quaintance, who is rehabbing a knee injury from last year, and Lowe, who sustained a minor shoulder setback. Kentucky outrebounded Purdue 42-30 and Johnson led the Wildcats with 15 points. Noah and Oweh each tallied 10 points in the victory.
“We’re not quite as veteran as we were last year,” Pope said. “It’s going to be a work in progress. … But otherwise, I like where we are. I think our staff’s done an unbelievable job and I think our guys have really tried to buy in.”
Nicholls is coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons yet is still searching for the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid since 1998. Third-year coach Tevon Saddler is 40-27 but is rebuilding his roster.
A year ago, the Colonels finished third in the Southland Conference and went out in the semifinal round of the conference tournament. Three major scorers on that team hit the transfer portal.
Returning contributors for this season include guard Trae English (6.1 points per game) and forwards Jaylen Searles (6.5 points) and Sincere Malone (5.6).
Among the new faces is transfer Christian Winborne (3.9 points per game) from Iona. Zee Hamoda (11.9 points) was a standout last year at Sacramento State. And Jalik Dunkley was singled out by his coach as “one of the most athletic players in the conference.”
With 10 transfers and only one freshman on the roster, the Colonels will have some experience.
“I’m loving where this team is right now mentally,” Saddler said. “They’re really a tough group and I’m excited to see where the future takes us.”