Not long ago, Kentucky fans couldn’t even agree on whether this team knew who it was.
Early in the 2025–26 season, the Wildcats looked fractured. Losses stacked up at Louisville, Michigan State, Gonzaga, and Alabama. Late-game collapses against North Carolina and Missouri only deepened the frustration. And every time Mark Pope spoke about the adversity leading to something “special,” much of Big Blue Nation rolled its eyes.
That tone has changed — dramatically.
After Saturday night’s 74–71 win over No. 25 Tennessee at Rupp Arena, Kentucky fans seem united on one clear belief: this team refuses to quit, and it’s becoming something worth trusting.
The Wildcats completed a regular-season sweep of the Volunteers in a game that followed a strangely familiar script. Just like the first meeting in Knoxville, Kentucky fell behind badly before halftime. This time, it was a 47–33 deficit at the break — nearly identical to the 42–31 hole they faced in January.
And just like before, Kentucky responded.
“We don’t have that many guys on the roster anymore,” Pope said afterward. “But everybody is stepping up.”
That statement now feels less like optimism and more like reality.
Otega Oweh continued to be Kentucky’s steady force, scoring 21 points and once again shouldering the offense when things tightened. The senior wing has now scored 20 or more points in nine of Kentucky’s 11 SEC games, drawing praise even from opposing coaches.
“An SEC Player of the Year candidate,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “He’s playing at that level.
Denzel Aberdeen came through again against the Vols, finishing with 16 points and calmly knocking down two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to seal the win. But the moment that flipped the building belonged to Collin Chandler.
With Kentucky trailing by one in the final minute, Oweh attacked the paint and kicked the ball out to Chandler on the right wing. The sophomore rose, fired, and delivered — giving Kentucky a lead it wouldn’t give back.
Chandler has now made decisive late-game plays in six Wildcat victories this season, earning a growing reputation as the team’s closer.
“He’s cold,” Oweh said afterward. “He’s cold.”
Defense told the rest of the story. After Tennessee guards Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie torched Kentucky from three in the first half, the Wildcats made critical adjustments. Oweh shifted onto Gillespie, while Chandler took on the challenge of defending the 6-foot-10 Ament.
The result was striking. Tennessee attempted just six three-pointers in the second half — and missed all of them.
“We wanted to take away their shooting and make them beat us in other ways,” Chandler said.
They couldn’t.
Mouhamed Dioubate delivered one of the game’s most important hustle plays, rebounding a missed Chandler free throw with 7.3 seconds left while Kentucky clung to a one-point lead. That possession helped slam the door shut.
The win improved Kentucky to 17–7 overall and 8–3 in SEC play. After starting 5–4, the Wildcats have now won 12 of their last 15 games. Since falling to 9–6, they’re 8–1 — a stretch that includes two wins over Tennessee, a road victory at Tennessee, and a win over John Calipari’s Arkansas team.
Saturday night carried extra emotion. Members of Kentucky’s iconic 1995–96 national championship team were in the building, and the Wildcats wore retro denim uniforms in tribute.
“They won the national championship 30 years ago in these jerseys,” freshman center Malachi Moreno said. “So it definitely adds some pressure.”
Kentucky handled it.
The unanswered question remains whether this injury-depleted roster has the ceiling to compete with true national contenders. That answer may come next week in Gainesville, where Kentucky will face defending national champion Florida with sole possession of the SEC lead at stake.
Florida looks the part.
But what’s already clear is this: Kentucky fans now agree on something they didn’t earlier in the season. This team believes. It fights. And it keeps delivering when the moment demands it.
“This is our team,” Chandler said. “We’re writing the story. And it’s special.”
For a season that once felt lost, that belief says everything.
