Three takeaways from Kentucky’s 90-76 overtime win over UCF

It took overtime, but Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats were able to take down the UCF Knights in Rupp Arena to finish their exhibition games 3-0. It took a big shot from Alex Wilkins as time expired in regulation for the Wildcats to make it to overtime, but once they got there, Pope’s team blew the doors off UCF, winning this game 90-76.

There was a lot of positivity to take away from the win for Pope and the Wildcats. Let’s take a look at three takeaways from Kentucky’s overtime win over the Knights.

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Three takeaways from Kentucky’s 90-76 exhibition win over UCF

Mason Williams is a superstar

Oct 28, 2026; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Mason Williams (4) dives to the floor for the ball in overtime against the UCF Knights at Rupp Arena Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

All summer Big Blue Nation heard that Mason Williams was way ahead of schedule and that he would get legit minutes this season. After this, Jernoe Morton goes down with an injury, and just like that, Williams was lunged into a much larger role. In the win over the Knights this evening, Williams scored 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The true freshman also added two rebounds and two assists to the stat sheet. If he keeps playing like this, it will be hard for Pope to keep him out of the starting five.

Zoom Diallo continues to struggle

Oct 23, 2026; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Zoom Diallo (5) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Rupp Arena Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the first two exhibition games, the starting point guard for the Wildcats, Zoom Diallo, struggled, and those struggles continue this evening. Diallo went 2-for-9 from the field and took some bad shots. Diallo did have six assists, which is good to see, but his downhill scoring hasn’t impressed like fans were hoping for heading…

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Publish date : 2026-10-29 01:30:00

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