Mark Pope has made it clear all season: he wants to run deep. Kentucky’s head coach has leaned into his bench like few others in the country, regularly rolling out 10-man rotations and trusting his depth to wear teams down. But in Saturday’s must-win showdown against Indiana at Rupp Arena, Pope made a notable pivot - and it paid off in a big way.
Kentucky tightened things up in the second half and pulled away for a 72-60 win, flipping a seven-point halftime deficit into a statement victory. The Wildcats didn’t abandon their depth entirely - seven players still logged 20 or more minutes - but the leash got shorter as the game wore on. Pope stuck with the guys who had the hot hand, and in a game that demanded urgency, he found a rotation that delivered.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the shift was Otega Oweh, who played all 20 minutes of the second half and tied his season-high with 33 total. Oweh’s energy and versatility on both ends helped stabilize Kentucky when things could’ve gone sideways.
Alongside him, Kam Williams and Jaland Lowe each logged 15 second-half minutes, while Brandon Garrison and Mo Dioubate chipped in 13 apiece. Denzel Aberdeen added 10 more, rounding out a six-man core that carried the Wildcats across the finish line.
That group - Lowe, Oweh, Williams, Dioubate, and Garrison - spent nine minutes on the floor together and posted a +11 in that stretch, according to CBB Analytics. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective. Pope recognized the momentum and leaned into it.
“I actually had no idea where the rotation would go today,” Pope admitted after the game. “I didn’t know how Kam was going to feel on the court today, I had no idea how Mo was going to feel on the court today.”
Pope also noted that he expected Andrija Jelavic to have a role - calling him their most effective post player, especially at the four - but the game didn’t call for it. Jelavic didn’t play a single minute for the first time all season. Jasper Johnson, another usual rotation piece, saw just three minutes - a season low.
That’s the nature of college basketball. Some nights, matchups and momentum dictate the rotation more than the game plan.
Pope acknowledged that, saying, “That’s the nature of the game and what the game was calling for tonight. If we can embrace that, we can win a lot of different ways.”
That flexibility could be key for Kentucky moving forward. Pope spoke earlier in the week about his desire to keep using an extended rotation - and with a full roster available for the first time since Nov. 11 (minus Jayden Quaintance, who’s still working toward his debut), it looked like he might have the chance to follow through. But when the game tightened, so did the rotation.
And it worked. Kentucky outscored Indiana by 19 in the second half, riding a core group that clicked on both ends. It wasn’t just about effort - it was about fit, rhythm, and trust.
The Wildcats still have depth, no question. But the early part of the season has shown that depth doesn’t always equal production.
With Quaintance nearing a return, Pope may soon have even more options to juggle. But if Saturday is any indication, Kentucky’s path to consistent success might lie in trimming things down - not expanding.
A rotation of seven or eight, maybe nine depending on the matchup, could give this team the best chance to build chemistry and close out games. Pope hasn’t abandoned his philosophy - but he’s learning when to adapt. And on Saturday, that adaptability was the difference.