Kentucky Basketball Pro Day arrives with the spotlight already fixed on a handful of questions that could say plenty about where this team is headed.
The event is set for this early evening at Rupp Arena, with SEC Network+ carrying it from 5-7 p.m. ET. All 30 NBA teams are expected to be there, watching Kentucky as the Wildcats move toward year three under Mark Pope and give pro evaluators a look at players who matter both for the upcoming draft cycle and beyond.
Some of the obvious issues are already on the board - shooting, health and the four spot among them - but there are a few bigger-picture questions worth tracking before the ball is tipped in Lexington.
The first centers on Malachi Moreno, and whether he’s ready to make the leap Kentucky needs from him.
Moreno’s draft decision was closer than many expected when he entered the process. He emerged as a real first-round possibility after working out for several teams in the 20-30 range, and it was easy to see why.
At a true seven feet and 250 pounds, with the kind of feel and processing ability that makes him an offensive hub, he had the profile of a player a team could grab early and hope to get ahead of a bigger breakout later. He ultimately chose to return, and Pope called him “the best center in all of college basketball.”
That’s the standard now. The latest feedback has been encouraging, but Pro Day will be the first real chance to see the sophomore after an offseason spent trimming some baby fat, adding muscle and putting a premium on conditioning.
Kentucky can be solid even if Moreno just holds serve. If he becomes the All-SEC version of the big man the Wildcats had last season, the ceiling changes.
Milan Momcilovic presents a different kind of test.
He, too, had a decision after testing the draft waters in the spring. After a historic shooting season at Iowa State, he could have taken what looked like a second-round path and turned pro.
Instead, he stayed in college and leaned into NIL, becoming one of the portal’s biggest names. Afterward, he said this would be his last ride and that he plans to close the gap to first-round status next season, in what should be a weaker draft.
Whether that plan holds up is the real question. His On3 NIL valuation is $6 million, and NBA scouts will be watching closely at Rupp Arena to see if there’s more to his game than elite shot-making. He’s also coming back from a funky finger injury, which makes tonight even more important for anyone trying to figure out how much room he has left to grow.
There’s no question Momcilovic did it at Iowa State. The question is how that translates when the attention is heavier and the pressure is different, especially at Kentucky in a year that matters so much for the program.
Then there’s Braydon Hawthorne, maybe the biggest mystery on the roster.
Kentucky has plenty of wildcards, including Alex Wilkins coming up from Furman, Kam Williams returning from a foot injury, Ousmane N’Diaye arriving from the international ranks and Frank Kepnang dealing with the availability issues that have followed him for years. But Hawthorne is the one nobody can quite pin down.
A redshirt freshman, he signed as a high-upside four-star prospect and has drawn comparisons to Tayshaun Prince. He’s thin, long, and capable of shooting it, with enough positional versatility to make you wonder what happens if it all clicks. The problem is that nobody really knows how ready he is, physically or mentally, to turn the promise into production.
That uncertainty hasn’t stopped the intrigue. Other high-profile schools reportedly checked on him during portal season, and his return to Lexington was not the easy call it might have seemed. After a complicated redshirt decision and an offseason full of questions, Pro Day gives Kentucky its first real chance to see whether the hype has teeth.
Scouts are sure to have Hawthorne circled. Tonight should start providing some answers.
In Other News...
Kentucky Fans Face An Early Rupp Ticket Crunch
Kentucky basketball fans hoping to lock in their seats for next season will get an early shot at Rupp Arena this week, when single-game tickets for the first 10 home dates of the 2026-27 schedule go on sale to the general public on Ticketmaster Tuesday at 5 p.m. EST. The batch includes three exhibition games along with several regular-season matchups, giving the Big Blue Nation its first chance to plan ahead for what should be another busy winter in Lexington.
SEC home tickets will come later, depending on availability, so the early window does not cover the full conference slate. There is also a separate chance to land seats for Kentuckys CBS Sports Classic meeting with North Carolina at Madison Square Garden, with that matchup set for a presale and then a general on-sale on specified dates, adding another marquee event for fans willing to move quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys LSU Test Comes With Bigger Stakes Than Fans Realize
Kentuckys Week 6 meeting with LSU in 2026 already has the feel of a game that could tell a lot about where the Wildcats are headed. The Tigers are set to come to Lexington for Lane Kiffins third trip there in seven years, and they arrive with a roster that has been reshaped as much by the transfer portal as anything else. LSU added 41 players this offseason, a sign of just how much turnover the Tigers are trying to absorb after losing a number of key contributors.
For Kentucky, that makes the matchup more than just another SEC test. The Wildcats will be dealing with a team that looks different in a lot of places, but still carries the talent and speed that make LSU dangerous no matter who is running it out there. Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt is expected to be one of the more important new faces, and his presence only adds another layer to a game that already comes with plenty of intrigue for a Kentucky team measuring itself against the leagues upper tier. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Overtime Heroics Turned On One Play Fans Might Have Missed
Kentuckys overtime escape over South Carolina had plenty of moving parts, but one of the biggest plays came in a spot fans could have easily missed. On the decisive two-point try, CJ Baxter stepped up in protection and helped keep the play alive long enough for Kenny Minchey to find an open lane for the game-ending pass. It was the kind of small-but-crucial detail that can get buried under a wild finish, even though it helped decide a game the Wildcats had spent much of the day chasing.
Baxters value to Kentucky has gone well beyond that single snap. He leads the Wildcats in rushing yards and touchdowns this season, making him one of the teams most important offensive pieces even before the final sequence in overtime. For Kentucky, the finish only added to the appeal of a comeback that erased a 17-point first-half deficit and turned a tense afternoon into a 35-34 win. [Read more 🡒]