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The Kentucky Wildcats made headlines after their unceremonious first-round ouster in the 2024 NCAA Tournament to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The loss caused former champion coach John Calipari to be removed from his position and replaced by former team captain and 1996 NCAA champion Mark Pope.
With most of the 2024 season's roster transferring to other schools, exhausting their eligibility or declaring for the NBA draft, Pope was forced to start from scratch as he scrambled to secure player commitments from the transfer portal and high school recruitment.
Months later, he assembled a dynamic roster that features six fifth-year players, one senior, three juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen. Not much is expected from this batch, but surprises have happened in the past, and this season, the Wildcats might be one of the underdog squads that college basketball fans would cheer on in the 2024-25 season.
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Kentucky men's basketball 2024-25 season preview: Biggest games, key players to watch and more
Kentucky's 3 biggest games in the 2024-25 season
Kentucky's 2024-25 men's basketball season schedule has been revealed to the public. It features 18 SEC regular-season games and 13 non-conference matchups that would test the Wildcats' strength and capability to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
There are three games that Kentucky and college hoops fans should keep an eye on this season. They are against ACC teams Duke and Clemson and conference foes Arkansas now under Calipari's mentorship.
The Nov. 12 game against Duke in Atlanta is part of the Champions Classic, which also features Kansas and Michigan State. The Wildcats face a new-look Duke squad led by high school phenom Cooper Flagg.
On Dec. 3, Kentucky is pitted against Clemson in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The game is another test for coach Pope and his men as the Tigers are coming off an Elite Eight finish this past season.
Lastly, the game against Arkansas will be the first time Razorbacks coach Calipari faces his former team. The regular-season clash will also challenge Pope's readiness to compete against conference rivals in his first year as coach of an SEC-affiliated program.
Key Kentucky players to watch out for in the 2024-25 season
Despite not making much noise in recruiting new players that will comprise Kentucky's lineup, Mark Pope has assembled a decent group of cagers that have something to prove in the coming season. Four players—Ansley Almonor, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams—have scored over 1,000 points in their collegiate careers.
Butler, Williams, Almonor, Koby Brea and Jaxson Robinson have received various postseason awards before transferring to the Wildcats. Kerr Kriisa is a sharpshooter who has buried 238 3-pointers in his career, while Otega Oweh used to be one of Oklahoma's top scorers before committing to Kentucky.
The freshman class isn't too shabby either, as Travis Perry is the state's all-time leading scorer while Trent Noah is a lights-out 3-point shooter. Collin Chandler, on the other hand, is in the top 40 of the 2022 class.
Taking Kentucky for granted in the coming season would be a big mistake for its foes, as the program features a blue-collar team that is ready to take a bite at those unsuspecting squads who will underestimate it from the start.
Kentucky predictions for the 2024-25 season
There is not much to expect in Kentucky's lineup except for the strategy that Mark Pope will employ this season and the freshman recruits Chandler, Perry and Noah. An explosive season from the trio would hike their NBA stock and give the Wildcats a bigger chance of winning their regular-season games.
Veterans Butler, Oweh, Almonor and Williams are expected to lead the Wildcats, while Brea, Carr and Garrison are set to provide quality minutes for the team. A 22-11 season would be enough for them to make the NCAA Tournament, but just like last year, they will be ousted in the first round.
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