2026-27 Kentucky Basketball Roster: Projected starting lineup and key bench players

With the addition of Missouri transfer forward Mark Mitchell (pending his eligibility case), Kentucky Basketball’s 2026-27 roster is now finalized.

After an offseason filled with roster movement, Mark Pope and his staff have assembled a team that combines proven college production, size, shooting, and versatility.

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With the roster set, here is a look at Kentucky’s projected starting five and several key players who could play important roles off the bench.

Kentucky Basketball Projected Starting Five

PG: Zoom Diallo

Diallo enters his third collegiate season after taking a significant step forward at Washington in 2025-26.

He started 29 of 33 games and averaged 15.7 points and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. He scored in double figures 23 times and recorded three double-doubles.

Diallo showed he can take over games, including a 26-point performance against USC and a 22-point, 11-assist effort against the Trojans in an overtime victory. He also recorded a career-high 12 assists against Iowa.

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After averaging 11.1 points and 2.7 assists as a sophomore, Diallo appears ready to take on an even larger role at Kentucky.

One interesting storyline will be whether Diallo can help Kentucky reverse his college winning fortunes. Despite his individual production, he has yet to play on a winning college team. With this roster around him, that could change in Lexington.

SG: Alex Wilkins

Wilkins comes to Kentucky after an outstanding freshman season at Furman.

The 6-foot-6 guard started all 35 games he played and averaged 17.8 points and 4.7 assists per game. He earned second-team All-Southern Conference honors, NABC All-South Atlantic District First Team recognition and SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.

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Wilkins averaged 21.7 points per game during the SoCon Tournament, including a career-high 34 points against UNC Greensboro.

He finished the season with 622 points, the most ever by a Furman freshman, while shooting 45.8% from the field, 32.1% from 3 and 83.5% from the free-throw line.

Wilkins also came close to helping Furman pull off a massive NCAA Tournament…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2026-27-kentucky-basketball-roster-204828395.html

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Publish date : 2026-08-28 20:48:00

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