Sixteen days ago, Kentucky basketball was at a low point.
The Wildcats had just been bludgeoned 94-59 by then-No. 11 Gonzaga in Nashville, and they were serenaded by fans with a chorus of boos. Later that night, former Wildcats standout DeMarcus Cousins called the team out on X, questioning the 2025-26 squad’s heart in the blowout loss.
Second-year head coach Mark Pope accepted the criticism, responding, “I have no issue with what he said, in the sense of you’re watching that game, you feel like starting with the coach, this problem is completely unacceptable.”
Since the program’s third-worst loss in the shot clock era, Pope’s group has seen an upswing. Kentucky blew past North Carolina Central, before rallying past rival Indiana and then earning a 78-66 victory over No. 22 St. John’s on Saturday in Atlanta — snapping a six-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
Pope, a former Kentucky player, was well aware of the expectations when he was tabbed as John Calipari’s replacement prior to last season. Through a turbulent start to the season, Pope is starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
“We’re writing (our story) and I think we have the right guys to do it,” Pope said. “I’m really confident in this group.
“It’s just been slow for us to figure out and embrace exactly who we are. We’re in that process and we’re in the early stages of that process. … I love the journey of a season and even when it’s bad, I love the pain of it because it makes these nights awesome.”
As Southeastern Conference play approaches, part of the reason Big Blue Nation should be optimistic is the jelling of a finally healthy roster.
Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe has scored 13 points in each of Kentucky’s last two games as he returns from a shoulder injury suffered in the preseason. Highly touted Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance made his season debut in the win over St. John’s, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Quaintance averaged 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds with the Sun Devils and will give Kentucky a much-needed big-man presence.
“I felt like my conditioning was good,” Quaintance said of his return to the court after tearing his ACL in February. “I feel like my guys had prepared me really well in all the practices and months leading up to now. So I felt good on the court. I felt like if I was able to have my time to shine, I’d make it my moment, and I feel like I did that.”
The 6-foot-10 18-year-old will almost certainly mold into Kentucky’s starting center, and his emergence couldn’t come at a better time.
“(Jayden’s) health is so good right now, but it’s going to be a matter of how he feels in the morning,” Pope said on Saturday. “We have a huge game on Tuesday and then we have a break where we have a solid week-plus of practice, and we’ll be able to roll him back in. I think the minutes restriction will work its way out relatively quickly.”
Kentucky hosts Bellarmine on Tuesday, then has a 10-day break before beginning its SEC slate at No. 16 Alabama.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media
