Last season, Kentucky basketball endured a historically poor win-loss record. Although the roster initially seemed full of potential, that promise never materialized. Injuries were the primary reason for the letdown, but a genuine shortage of elite talent also played a role.
Once Jaland Lowe got hurt, the Wildcats lacked a true point guard to steady the offense. Then, when Jayden Quaintance’s knee began acting up, the season truly derailed. Kentucky did recover to win a postseason game after a relatively solid midseason stretch, yet the overall outcome left everyone wanting more.
As a result, Mark Pope got to work and made an all-out push for top recruit Tyran Stokes. After missing out on him—as well as on two or three other priority transfer targets—the pressure mounted for Pope to land a difference-maker, Will Stein style.
That difference-maker is Milan Momcilovic. His addition as a five-star transfer now puts Kentucky’s current roster comfortably ahead of last year’s squad.
A Direct (Favorable) Comparison
In my view, Kentucky has improved at nearly every position across the board. For the sake of brevity, consider this projected starting lineup:
• Jaland Lowe < Zoom Diallo
• Denzel Aberdeen < Alex Wilkins
• Kam Williams (Year 1) < Kam Williams (Year 2)
• Otega Oweh = Milan Momcilovic
• Malachi Moreno (Year 1) < Malachi Moreno (Year 2)
When healthy, Jayden Quaintance might have been the best player in this entire comparison but he wasn’t healthy in Lexington, so it’s hard to factor him in. Otherwise, Mark Pope has significantly upgraded the talent on his year-three roster.
Kentucky now boasts more shooters, greater backcourt depth (thank goodness), and more ways for Pope to deploy a veteran-laden team. This roster looks far more like a true Mark Pope roster than last year’s squad did.
Recall that Pope previously course-corrected toward a defense-first approach that didn’t work out. Now, with Momcilovic joining, the Wildcats have four players who have shot above 38% from three-point range all of whom could technically share the court at once (Morton, Williams, Momcilovic, McBride). Impressive.
Will Kentucky actually have a better season once the ball tips? Who knows for certain. But on paper, the roster represents a major upgrade in both fit and talent. All signs point to the kind of improvement Kentucky fans have wanted since Pope was hired. This is a Kentucky team with nationally competitive upside that, when playing at its high-scoring best, should be a tough out for anyone.
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