Kentucky’s 14-point win over UCF hides a major concern before College Basketball season

Kentucky’s 14-point win over UCF hides a major concern before College Basketball season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Kentucky Wildcats finished their preseason exhibition schedule with a perfect record Wednesday night, but anyone who simply checks the final score might walk away with a misleading impression of what happened inside Rupp Arena.

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No. 23 Kentucky defeated UCF 90-76 in overtime, completing a 3-0 exhibition campaign before the 2026-27 college basketball season officially begins.

A 14-point win over a Big 12 opponent would normally suggest a comfortable evening for Mark Pope’s team.

This was anything but comfortable.

Kentucky trailed by two points during the final seconds of regulation and needed a dramatic basket from Alex Wilkins to avoid a potentially embarrassing exhibition defeat.

The Wildcats then dominated the extra period, outscoring UCF 19-5 to produce a final margin that hardly reflected the tension of the preceding 40 minutes.

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The victory was exciting, but it also revealed an important issue Kentucky must address before the regular season begins.

Alex Wilkins saves Kentucky from exhibition defeat

Kentucky appeared in serious danger of losing when UCF moved ahead 71-69 with only seconds remaining in regulation. The Wildcats had previously held a double-digit advantage but struggled to maintain their offensive rhythm.

After UCF missed a late free throw, Wilkins received an opportunity to save the game.

The Furman transfer pushed the ball up the floor, attacked the defense and connected on a difficult floater just before time expired. The basket tied the score at 71 and sent the contest into overtime.

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It was a particularly important moment for Wilkins, who had already shown an ability to deliver timely offense during Kentucky’s exhibition victory over Texas Tech.

His latest contribution came when the Wildcats desperately needed a basket.

Once overtime…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kentuckys-14-point-win-over-140829124.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-29 14:08:00

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