Critics of UK’s $22 million men’s hoops roster are leaving out part of the story
Fast break points from “Bracketville”:
21. Dick Vitale. The venerable ESPN men’s college basketball analyst, 86, got a lot of attention for his comments about Kentucky’s $22 million roster during UK’s 84-77 loss to No. 5 Florida on Saturday.
20. Vitale’s commentary. “I think at $22 million, they could have put together a better roster than they did, I really do,” Vitale said.
19. UK roster construction. Questions over Kentucky’s roster formation have been a year-long theme during this uneven UK season (19-12, 10-8 SEC). Heck, I first wrote way back on June 1, 2025, that I had significant concerns about the roster Mark Pope & Co. had put together for 2025-26.
18. The rest of the story. But whether you think the quality of the Kentucky roster matches the money UK reportedly spent in putting its team together or not, it is a fact that, for the overwhelming majority of this season, you have not been watching the $22 million roster.
17. Have to factor in injuries. Since wing Kam Williams broke his foot Jan. 21 and joined point guard Jaland Lowe (nine total games played this season) and center Jayden Quaintance (four games) on the sidelines due to injury, Kentucky has played its past 12 games of the season without three of its top six projected players.
16. A major impact. Whatever you feel about the overall quality of the UK roster, no team in NCAA Division I basketball can lose three of its top six players for an extended period and not take a hit — and that reality needs to be accounted for in evaluating the Kentucky season.
15. All-time wins race. Kentucky entered the 2025-26 season with an eight-game edge, 2,422 to 2,414, over Kansas in the battle to be NCAA Division I men’s college basketball’s all-time winningest program.
14. Jayhawks have gained. Going into conference tournament action, KU (22-9) has gained three wins so far this season on UK (19-12) and now trails by five, 2,441 to 2,436.
13. Ex-UK assistants as head men. On Feb. 4, I wrote about three former Kentucky men’s basketball assistant coaches who were having significant success as head coaches in 2025-26. Presently, it looks like two of the three have a viable chance to coach in the NCAA Tournament.
12. Jai Lucas. Even with Miami’s 92-89 home loss to ACC rival Louisville in the regular season finale, Lucas’ Hurricanes (24-7, 13-5 ACC) are projected by ESPN.com’s Joe Lunardi as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tourney.
11. Herb Sendek. With Santa Clara heading into a West Coast Conference Tournament semifinal vs. No. 21 Saint Mary’s Monday night, Sendek’s Broncos (25-7, 15-3 WCC) were among Lunardi’s “last four teams in” as a projected No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
10. KT Turner. Texas Arlington (17-13, 9-9 WAC) was 14-7 on Feb. 4 but subsequently went 3-6 down the stretch. Turner’s Mavericks will have to win the WAC Tournament to go to the NCAA tourney. Texas Arlington will open play in the league tournament against Southern Utah in the quarterfinals, then if it wins would face No. 1 seed Utah Valley in the semifinals
9. My Kentucky college basketball postseason awards. With the 2025-26 regular season in the books, I am handing out the metaphorical hardware.
8. Men’s Kentucky All-State Team: Wing, Ryan Conwell (18.7 points), Louisville; forward, Teagan Moore (18.4 points), Western Kentucky; center, Malachi Moreno (8.3 points), Kentucky; guard, Otega Oweh (18.2 points), Kentucky; guard, Mikel Brown Jr. (18.2 points), Louisville.
7. Women’s Kentucky All-State Team: Forward, Sharnecce Currie-Jelks (18.3 points), Murray State; forward, Laura Ziegler (11.1 points), Louisville; center, Clara Strack (17.1 points), Kentucky; guard, Halli Poock (22.2 points), Murray State; guard Tonie Morgan (13.8 points), Kentucky.
6. Men’s Newcomer of the Year: Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville. When not sidelined by a bad back, the U of L freshman point guard (18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists) has been fabulous — including a school-record-tying 45 points vs. North Carolina State.
5. Women’s Newcomer of the Year: Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, Murray State. The transfer from Indiana has been dominant (18.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 24 double-doubles) as a junior in the Missouri Valley Conference.
4. Men’s Player of the Year: Otega Oweh, Kentucky. The UK senior (18.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists) scored 20 points or more in 14 of Kentucky’s 18 SEC contests.
3. Women’s Player of the Year: Clara Strack, Kentucky. The UK junior (17.1 points, 10 rebounds, 2.6 blocks) has 14 points/rebounds double-doubles.
2. Men’s Coach of the Year: Jonathan Mattox, Morehead State. The second-year coach led the Eagles (20-13, 15-5 OVC), who were picked fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference in the preseason, to a share of the OVC regular season title and a runner-up finish in the league tournament.
1. Women’s Coach of the Year: Greg Todd, Eastern Kentucky. Even allowing for No. 1 seed EKU’s dispiriting 45-41 upset loss to No. 8 seed Austin Peay in the ASUN Tournament quarterfinals, Todd coached Eastern (24-8, 15-3 ASUN) to a school record-tying 24 victories and its first regular season conference championship since 2005.
