Mark Pope team for next season

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Mark Pope on return of Kentucky-Indiana basketball rivalry

Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope said “I love everything about” the Kentucky-Indiana basketball rivalry returning for the 2025-26 NCAA season.

Six Kentucky seniors, all transfers, have exhausted their eligibility, and guard Kerr Kriisa could return for a sixth year or go pro.Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class is ranked No. 6 nationally and could rise with a commitment from five-star forward Nate Ament.

INDIANAPOLIS — Kentucky basketball’s 2024-25 season met its end on Friday night. The No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, UK lost to 2-seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Now, with the first season of the Mark Pope coaching era in the books, the Wildcats set their sights on the 2025-26 campaign.

Here’s a look at the offseason ahead, and what next season’s roster could look like:

Six UK seniors, all of whom joined via the transfer portal last offseason, have exhausted their eligibility.

That group includes guards s Koby Brea, Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson, forwards Ansley Almonor and Andrew Carr, and center Amari Williams

Each member of the group brought something to the table.

Butler was a quiet, determined leader and the team’s best perimeter defender. Robinson was the most consistent scorer of the season aside from junior Otega Oweh. Williams, the leading rebounder, also was a gifted passer — a skill he regularly showcased, none better than when he recorded only the fourth triple-double in program history in a road loss at Ole Miss in February. Brea, who was the nation’s most accurate 3-point shooter during the 2023-24 season while starring at Dayton, lived up to that billing at UK. While slowed by a back injury at times during the second half of the season, Carr was a crafty veteran with a diverse skill set (though his long-range shooting, which he showed off during the team’s preseason pro day, wasn’t highlighted as much as one might have thought). And…

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Source link : https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2025/03/28/kentucky-basketball-roster-2025-26-mark-pope-transfer-portal-recruiting/82582927007/

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Publish date : 2025-03-29 01:58:00

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