After getting blown out by Vanderbilt in an 80-55 loss, Kentucky bounced back with a gritty 85-77 win on the road at Arkansas - a turnaround that raises a fair question: What’s the right way to evaluate Mark Pope’s Wildcats right now?
At 15-7 overall and 6-3 in SEC play, Kentucky’s season has been a rollercoaster. They’ve gone just 3-6 against Top 25 opponents, which has fueled some skepticism about their ceiling. But look closer, and there’s more to the story - especially when you consider the adversity they’ve faced.
ESPN analyst and former college head coach Fran Fraschilla, who was on the call for the Arkansas game, offered some perspective on what that win meant.
“Given the turmoil of the previous 72 hours, the fact that the Wildcats are down three players and the chaos of the game, it was a gutsy win at Arkansas,” Fraschilla said. “They got out of the gate fast, and when Arkansas battled back early in the second half, they never lost their fight.”
That resilience was key. This is a Kentucky team playing without a true point guard and missing multiple rotation pieces, yet they found a way to respond after arguably their worst loss of the season. That says something about the group’s character - and Pope’s ability to keep the locker room steady.
Fraschilla pointed to Ortega Owen as a major reason why Kentucky can still be dangerous down the stretch. “Owen’s toughness and scoring ability will keep them in a lot of big games,” he said.
“The rest of the SEC schedule, while challenging, offers great opportunities to improve their NCAA seed line. I absolutely expect them to be a tournament team.”
That’s not just lip service. The SEC standings paint a picture of a league that’s competitive top to bottom, and Kentucky is still very much in the mix.
They trail Texas A&M (7-1), Florida (7-2), and Vanderbilt (6-3), but they’re tied with Arkansas at 6-3. Right behind them?
Tennessee (5-3), Missouri (5-4), Auburn (5-4), and Alabama (5-4). There’s a logjam forming in the middle of the conference, and every game from here on out matters.
Kentucky’s remaining schedule is a mixed bag of opportunity and challenge. They’ll face Florida twice - a team ahead of them in the standings - and still have matchups with Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Alabama, and Texas A&M. But there are also winnable games against Oklahoma (1-8), South Carolina (2-7), and Georgia (4-5).
Sporting News columnist Mike DeCourcy sees the Wildcats’ recent run - six wins in their last seven SEC games - as a testament to their resilience.
“It’s not easy to do that in the Power 5 conferences, unless you’re one of the teams at the very top of the sport,” DeCourcy said. “I certainly wouldn’t classify Kentucky, in its current state, in that category - not with basically three of their top eight players out because of injury. So to be doing what they are is pretty remarkable.”
And for those questioning Pope’s coaching chops after a few lopsided losses? DeCourcy didn’t hold back: “It’s been absurd.”
He’s not wrong. The Wildcats have been forced to adapt on the fly, reshuffling lineups and leaning on younger or less experienced players to carry heavier loads. That kind of midseason recalibration isn’t easy, especially in a league as deep as the SEC.
While the remaining schedule isn’t exactly a walk in the park, DeCourcy noted that it’s “about as accommodating as the SEC could provide.” If Kentucky can stay healthy - or at least not lose any more bodies - and finish in or near the top five of the league, it would be a strong regular-season showing given the circumstances.
ESPN’s Seth Greenberg summed it up succinctly in a social media post: “I guess the sky wasn’t falling.” He’s right. In today’s college basketball landscape, where parity reigns and no game is a given, bouncing back the way Kentucky did in Fayetteville is no small feat.
So, where does that leave us with this team? It’s a group with flaws, sure.
But also one with fight. And as the calendar flips to February and the games start to carry more weight, that might be the most important trait of all.