Things aren’t looking great for Mark Pope and Kentucky basketball. The Wildcats sit at 9-5 overall and just 1-5 against ranked opponents. Their only quality win? St. John’s, which is no longer ranked. Even worse, several losses have been blowouts, with Kentucky falling behind by 20 or more against Louisville, Michigan State, Gonzaga, and Alabama.
Now, statistician EvanMiya is projecting a shocking outcome: a 16-15 finish with a 7-11 SEC record. That would leave Kentucky on the bubble for the NIT — a scenario no Big Blue Nation fan wants to imagine.
Mark Pope entered the season calling this roster a “Ferrari,” ready to take it for a test drive. Instead, it’s been a rough ride. Injuries have played a role — Jayden Quaintance just returned, and Jaland Lowe is limited with a shoulder issue — but they don’t explain the lack of effort, poor execution, and alarming offensive struggles.
Here’s a snapshot of Kentucky’s performance against Power 5 teams this season (7 games):
Record: 2-5
Points per game: 71.6
FG%: 39.9%
3PT%: 23.6%
Free Throws: 73.7%
Rebounds per game: 34.4 (11.6 offensive, 22.9 defensive)
Assists: 11.3 APG
Turnovers: 10.7 TPG
Shooting numbers are abysmal, and individual stats tell an even bleaker story. Otega Oweh leads with 15 PPG but is just 27% from three. Denzel Aberdeen shoots 22% from deep. Collin Chandler and Trent Noah provide spacing but hurt defensive stability. Players like Jasper Johnson and Andrija Jelavić have struggled to contribute consistently. Even a fully healthy Jayden Quaintance hasn’t stabilized the team.
Mark Pope faces a nightmare lineup puzzle. Play the defensive core — Lowe, Oweh, Williams, Dioubate, and Quaintance — and Kentucky has almost no three-point threat. Bring in shooters like Chandler or Noah, and the defense collapses. The Cats cannot generate offense or stop opponents effectively in either scenario.
Voices in the basketball world are questioning Kentucky’s identity. Coaches like Nate Oats are scrutinizing the offense, former coach Norm Roberts is calling out the team’s lack of clarity, and fans are wondering if Pope is the right man to lead a program with national title expectations.
The solution is simple in theory but nearly impossible in practice: every player must improve. Oweh, Aberdeen, Moreno, Chandler, Dioubate, Quaintance — all of them need to elevate their games simultaneously. Only then can Kentucky live up to the lofty expectations set before the season.
Fail to do that, and EvanMiya’s grim prediction won’t just be a projection — it’ll be reality. Missing the NCAA Tournament for Kentucky? That’s the kind of disaster no fan wants to see.
