Even though the NCAA basketball season isn’t starting for another five months, everyone seems to agree on Kentucky’s preseason ranking.

Assuming all goes according to plan, Mark Pope’s Wildcats have a good chance of being a national title challenger and finishing in the top ten nationally.

Late last week, Pope’s second UK roster pieces began to arrive, and a deeper inspection of the 2025-26 Cats indicates something is cooking beyond the upcoming season.
When the games begin in November, Kentucky will definitely be a highlight.
It appears, nevertheless, that this specific squad will leave an impression that continues long beyond their last game together.

Last week, UK captured the arrivals of the Cats on campus with short films shared on social media.

The first newcomer to be highlighted was Jaland Lowe, a point guard prospect for the Wildcats coming season and a transfer from Pittsburgh.
Lowe, who was once considered a potential NBA talent, still has two years to play for his college team. This Kentucky roster will share that trait.
More overall talent is anticipated to be present in Pope’s second group compared to his first. In addition, this group should be able to maintain their momentum for longer, which is essential in today’s collegiate basketball environment.

While Pope’s roster that was put together on the fly for the 2024–25 season was certainly formidable—the Cats shot into the AP top five before injuries began to pile up and became the first UK team in six years to make it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament—that group did have some inherent limitations in the long run.

Last year’s squad included 12 scholarship players; seven of them players arrived at Lexington with only one year remaining on their eligibility.

Pope, aware that the British public had had enough of John Calipari’s program’s constant turnover, emphasized roster stability as an objective going ahead.
Because of the make-up of his initial roster and the ephemeral nature of collegiate athletics as a whole due to the open transfer portal and NIL opportunities, which result in continual movement, the new UK coach was also aware that this would be a challenging task straight out of the gate. The goal of Pope’s first, shortened offseason was to assemble a team capable of competing immediately. It was fruitful. This offseason, we set out to accomplish the same thing, but we also wanted to do all we could to lay a stronger groundwork for future roster continuity. That has also been fruitful. Twelve players out of the fifteen that will be playing for UK in 2025–26 will have eligibility that extends beyond the current season. The future of basketball in Kentucky is bright because of it.

MORE EXPERIENCE WITH POPE

Pope reflected on the Wildcats’ season-long accomplishments in light of their starting point as he celebrated the 3 seed they had won in the 2025 NCAA Tournament on his first Selection Sunday as coach of the United Kingdom.

In terms of roster continuity, the Wildcats were rated 355th nationally (out of 364 teams), as their coach accurately noted that evening.
“That’s an insane number,” Pope exclaimed. What these guys have achieved thus far is very remarkable, especially considering they are a brand-new squad that has never played as a unit. They are competing in the Southeastern Conference. Pope used the word “continuity” multiple times over the season.

That is to say, that though the Cats’ roster was stacked with veterans, they still had a steeper learning curve due to the lack of it.
These athletes were rather forthright about their desire to remain in college for another year to further develop under Pope.

Koby Brea, who became the Cats’ most promising NBA draft pick, improved in multiple areas towards the end of the season.

After a game in Rupp Arena towards the end of the season, Amari Williams made no secret of the fact that he was in the draft conversation thanks to his impressive play down the stretch.
“I wish I had another year,” the starting center for the UK remarked with a smile that betrayed his longing. The pope probably felt the same way.

The Kentucky head coach admitted in his first summer press conference that his players usually make “massive” leaps from the first to the second season. An ideal case in point would be Jaxson Robinson, who blossomed into a superstar during his sophomore year under Pope at BYU.

Otega Oweh, Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler, and Trent Noah—the four scholarship recipients from last year’s UK squad—are set to gain a lot of experience under Pope’s tutelage, as he has highlighted in particular.
His observation was that coaches typically enjoy year two more than year one “because year one is just this onslaught of learning decision-making.” This remains valid regardless of his previous employment.

To put it briefly, the thought of having to learn to make decisions is too much for you. Am I correct? You need time to become good at making decisions. Learning the dot-to-dot method does require time.
It is crucial to know the where, what, how, and why of a task. And what works and what doesn’t. Along with your individual strengths and the strategies that help you succeed as a player.
Pope and the UK coaching staff may have high hopes for the four returnees, hoping they will be even better (or even greater) than before. Once the 2025–26 season concludes, they will be in a great position to keep winning.