Kentucky basketball has taken its share of hits this season, and now CBS analyst Seth Davis is weighing in on what he sees as the program’s biggest problem: its roster.
Davis was responding to Tom Hart, who called Wednesday night’s game against Missouri and tweeted, “Kentucky has a talented (and expensive) roster.” While Davis agreed with the “expensive” part, he strongly disagreed with the “talented” label.
“All due respect, I’m not sure Kentucky’s roster is all that talented,” Davis said. “They have only one projected NBA Draft pick in Jayden Quaintance, and he’s coming off an ACL tear. He had 1 point in 18 minutes last night.
Looking closely, Davis’ criticism isn’t unfounded. Outside of Quaintance, no Kentucky player ranks among the top five at their position. Denzel Aberdeen, Kam Williams, Mo Dioubate, and Jaland Lowe are solid contributors, but they are role players, not game-changers. Otega Oweh, expected to provide a spark, has yet to consistently deliver, and Quaintance has struggled to find his footing on both ends of the court.
Coach Mark Pope built this team to play in waves, relying on deep rotations to run the floor and overwhelm opponents. But that depth has rarely materialized on the court. Fans have long called for trimming the rotation to eight players, starting Quaintance and Lowe, and Pope finally made the move against Missouri. Even then, nine players saw action, and Collin Chandler logged just five minutes. The result? The game plan still didn’t click.
At its core, Davis’ point is simple: Kentucky isn’t overflowing with star power. To win consistently, this roster needs cohesion, communication, and trust. Currently, broken possessions on both ends of the court reveal that the team hasn’t built that chemistry.
Until Kentucky learns to rely on each other instead of hoping for individual brilliance, struggles like Wednesday night’s loss are likely to continue.
