Is this very flawed UK team actually capable of doing something ‘special?’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky rebounds from early losses, winning 12 of 15 to reshape season
- Otega Oweh fuels offense; Collin Chandler delivers late-game shots
- Gainesville matchup will test Kentucky vs. a top-10-caliber Florida
It was back in the dark ages of the 2025-26 Kentucky men’s basketball season.
When the Wildcats lost at archrival Louisville, got routed by Michigan State, Gonzaga and Alabama and blew late leads in games against North Carolina and Missouri that should have been won.
Repeatedly, Mark Pope would vow in his postgame news conferences that all the early season adversity would end with the Wildcats producing something “special.”
As best as I could tell, all the relentless Pope positivity was aggravating the living heck out of much of his team’s fan base.
Well, don’t look now, but the Kentucky team that routinely took booing from its own backers in the early season is putting itself in position to do something kind of special.
UK completed a regular season sweep of No. 25 Tennessee on Saturday night at Rupp Arena. The script was a full-on sequel.
On Jan. 17 in Knoxville, the Cats rallied from 42-31 behind at halftime to hang an 80-78 defeat on the Volunteers.
This time, the Cats trailed the Vols 47-33 at the half. Again, the Wildcats clawed back and subdued Tennessee 74-71 before a giddy crowd of 20,123 that included many members of UK’s 1995-96 NCAA championship team.
“We don’t have that many guys on the roster anymore,” Pope said of the injury-riddled Wildcats, “but everybody is stepping up.”
Mr. Reliable, Otega Oweh, led the Wildcats with another 20-plus-points performance, scoring 21. Denzel Aberdeen, the hero of UK’s first win over UT, had 16 points and two free throws with 3.7 seconds left that proved to be game-sealing.
Collin Chandler came through in the clutch again, hitting the 3-pointer that put the Wildcats ahead for good, 71-69, with 32.4 seconds left off an assist from Oweh. Mouhamed Dioubate may have saved the victory for UK by rebounding a missed Chandler free throw with 7.3 seconds left and the Cats clinging to a one-point lead.
After starting the season 5-4, Kentucky (17-7, 8-3 SEC) has subsequently won 12 of 15 games. Once standing 9-6 on the year, UK has since gone 8-1 — with a road victory at Tennessee, a road victory over John Calipari and now a second win over the Volunteers included.
Next Saturday, the Wildcats will be in Gainesville to face defending NCAA champion Florida (17-6, 8-2 SEC) in a game that will be for the outright SEC lead.
With Kentucky’s 1996 NCAA title team being honored, there was extra electricity inside Rupp Arena on Saturday. The current Cats were outfitted in retro denim uniforms to honor those famously worn by the 1995-96 Wildcats.
“They won the national championship 30 years ago in these jerseys,” Kentucky freshman center Malachi Moreno said of the 1996 champions. “So I think being able to keep up with that tradition, it definitely adds a little pressure.”
With Tennessee stars Nate Ament (4 of 6 treys) and Ja’Kobi Gillespie (4 of 8 3-pointers) cooking from behind the arc in half one, the Volunteers again opened a massive halftime lead on Kentucky.
“We put the first two halves, both these (Kentucky) games together, we probably win the national championship,” UT coach Rick Barnes said.
In the second half, Pope and his coaching staff made defensive adjustments on Ament and Gillespie. Oweh switched off the 6-foot-10 Ament and onto the point guard Gillespie. Chandler picked up the assignment on Ament.
“They were running a pick and roll where they’re trying to hit the short roll, because I wasn’t coming to help on the short roll, and I was staying on (Ament),” Chandler said. “They did a little bit of damage like that, but ... we wanted to take away their shooting, and make them beat us in other ways.”
Tennessee got up only six 3-point attempts in half two —and missed them all.
Meanwhile, Oweh once again was carrying Kentucky offensively. The senior wing has scored 20 points or more in nine of Kentucky’s 11 SEC games to date.
“(An SEC) player of the year candidate,” Barnes said of Oweh. “He’s playing at that level.”
With Kentucky down one in the final minute, Oweh drove hard into the lane but, instead of looking to shoot, he pitched to a wide-open Chandler on the right wing. The sophomore guard proceeded to splash yet another big shot.
“I was just really trying to get two feet in the paint,” Oweh said. “I feel like, all night, I did a really good job of getting to the paint and either finishing it or making a play for teammates. ... And Collin was open.”
Chandler, who has picked up the nickname “Captain Clutch,” has now made decisive plays late in six Kentucky victories.
“He’s cold, bro, he’s cold,” Oweh said of Chandler.
What we do not know from Kentucky’s midseason surge is whether the Wildcats, playing without three projected starters due to injuries, have the talent ceiling to compete with top-10-caliber teams.
We will get that answer next week in Gainesville. Florida is playing like a top-10-caliber team.
What is already clear, however, is that a Kentucky season that seemed to have jumped the tracks early just might be heading toward someplace good.
“This is our team,” Chandler said. “We’re writing the story. And it’s special.”
