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2024–25 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

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The 2024–25 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats, founding members of the Southeastern Conference, played their home games at Rupp Arena and were led by Mark Pope in his first season as head coach for the Wildcats.[1]

ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
CoachesNo. 14
APNo. 12
Record24–12 (10–8 SEC)
Quick facts Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen ...
2024–25 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 14
APNo. 12
Record24–12 (10–8 SEC)
Head coach
Associate head coachAlvin Brooks III (1st season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaRupp Arena
Seasons
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More information Conf., Overall ...
2024–25 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 4 Auburn15–3 .83332–6  .842
No. 1 Florida †14–4 .77836–4  .900
No. 6 Alabama13–5 .72228–9  .757
No. 5 Tennessee12–6 .66730–8  .789
No. 19 Texas A&M11–7 .61123–11  .676
No. 12 Kentucky10–8 .55624–12  .667
Missouri10–8 .55622–12  .647
No. 18 Ole Miss10–8 .55624–12  .667
No. 20 Arkansas8–10 .44422–14  .611
Mississippi State8–10 .44421–13  .618
Georgia8–10 .44420–13  .606
Vanderbilt8–10 .44420–13  .606
Texas6–12 .33319–16  .543
Oklahoma6–12 .33320–14  .588
LSU3–15 .16714–18  .438
South Carolina2–16 .11112–20  .375
† 2025 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
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The Kentucky Wildcats drew an average home attendance of 20,334, the 2nd-highest of all basketball teams in the world.[2][3]

Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2023–24 season with a record of 23–8, 13–5 in SEC play to finish in a 3-way tie for second place in the SEC. Despite being the number two seed in the SEC tournament, they were upset in the quarterfinal round by Texas A&M. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they got upset by Oakland in the first round, finishing the season with an overall record of 23–10 record.[4] This marked John Calipari's final season as Kentucky's head coach, he left for Arkansas a month later.[5]

Offseason

Departures

More information Name, Number ...
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Rob Dillingham0G6'3"176FreshmanHickory, NCDeclared for 2024 NBA draft
Justin Edwards1G6'8"203FreshmanPhiladelphia, PADeclared for 2024 NBA draft
Aaron Bradshaw2F7'1"226FreshmanRoselle, NJTransferred to Ohio State
Adou Thiero3G6'8"222SophomoreLeetsdale, PATransferred to Arkansas
Tre Mitchell4F6'9"231GS SeniorPittsburgh, PAGraduated
Antonio Reeves12G6'6"195GS SeniorChicago, ILGraduated/2024 NBA draft
Brennan Canada14F6'5"200GS SeniorMount Sterling, KYGraduated
Reed Sheppard15G6'3"187FreshmanLondon, KYDeclared for 2024 NBA draft
Joey Hart20G6'5"203FreshmanLinton, INTransferred to Ball State
D. J. Wagner21G6'4"192FreshmanCamden, NJTransferred to Arkansas
Jordan Burks23G6'8"202FreshmanDecatur, ALTransferred to Georgetown
Kareem Watkins25G5'8"175SeniorCamden, NJWalk-on; graduated
Ugonna Onyenso33F7'0"247SophomoreOwerri, NigeriaTransferred to Kansas State
Zvonimir Ivišić44F7'2"234FreshmanVodice, CroatiaTransferred to Arkansas
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Incoming transfers

More information Name, Num ...
NameNumPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious college
Otega Oweh00G6'5"210JuniorSomerset, NJOklahoma
Lamont Butler1G6'2"207GS SeniorMoreno Valley, CASan Diego State
Jaxson Robinson2G6'7"200GS SeniorAda, OKBYU
Koby Brea4G6'6"205GS SeniorWashington Heights, NYDayton
Andrew Carr7F6'10"220GS SeniorWest Chester, PAWake Forest
Brandon Garrison10C6'11"245SophomoreOklahoma City, OKOklahoma State
Ansley Almonor15F6'7"244SeniorSpring Valley, NYFairleigh Dickinson
Amari Williams22C6'10"255GS SeniorNottingham, EnglandDrexel
Kerr Kriisa77G6'3"190GS SeniorTartu, EstoniaWest Virginia
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Class of 2024 commitments

More information Name, Hometown ...
College recruiting
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Collin Chandler
#6 SG		 Farmington, UT Farmington High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Apr 22, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 4/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (89)
Travis Perry
#15 PG		 Eddyville, KY Lyon County High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 12, 2023 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 4/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (84)
Trent Noah
SG		 Harlan, KY Harlan County High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) May 8, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 3/5 stars   ESPN: 3/5 stars   (77)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  • "2024 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  • "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  • "Kentucky 2024 Basketball Commits". 247Sports. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
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Roster

More information Players, Coaches ...
2024–25 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 00 Otega Oweh 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)208 lb (94 kg) JrOklahoma Newark, NJ
G 1 Lamont Butler 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)204 lb (93 kg) GSSan Diego State Moreno Valley, CA
G 2 Jaxson Robinson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)191 lb (87 kg) GSBYU Ada, OK
G 4 Koby Brea 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)206 lb (93 kg) GSDayton Washington Heights, NY
G 5 Collin Chandler 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)187 lb (85 kg) FrFarmington Farmington, UT
F 7 Andrew Carr 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)227 lb (103 kg) GSWake Forest West Chester, PA
F 9 Trent Noah 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)209 lb (95 kg) FrHarlan County Harlan, KY
C 10 Brandon Garrison 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) SoOklahoma State Oklahoma City, OK
G 11 Travis Perry 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)178 lb (81 kg) FrLyon County Eddyville, KY
G 13 Grant Darbyshire (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) JrSycamore Cincinnati, OH
F 15 Ansley Almonor 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)232 lb (105 kg) SrFairleigh Dickinson Spring Valley, NY
F 20 Zach Tow (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrMadisonville North Hopkins Madisonville, KY
G 21 Walker Horn (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)183 lb (83 kg) JrWestlake Austin, TX
C 22 Amari Williams 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)265 lb (120 kg) GSDrexel Nottingham, England
G 77 Kerr Kriisa 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) GSWest Virginia Tartu, Estonia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

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Schedule and results

More information Date time, TV, Rank# ...
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 23, 2024*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+		 No. 23 Kentucky Wesleyan W 123–52  –
  19 – Robinson  6 – Butler  6 – Tied  Rupp Arena (18,522)
Lexington, KY
October 29, 2024*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+		 No. 23 Minnesota State Mankato W 98–67  –
  24 – Robinson  6 – Robinson  6 – Tied  Rupp Arena (18,739)
Lexington, KY
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPNU		 No. 23 Wright State W 103–62  1–0
  21 – Oweh  13 – Williams  5 – Tied  Rupp Arena (19,635)
Lexington, KY
November 9, 2024*
4:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+		 No. 23 Bucknell W 100–72  2–0
  20 – Brea  14 – Williams  12 – Kriisa  Rupp Arena (20,048)
Lexington, KY
November 12, 2024*
9:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 19 vs. No. 6 Duke
Champions Classic		 W 77–72  3–0
  17 – Carr  8 – Williams  4 – Butler  State Farm Arena (16,107)
Atlanta, GA
November 19, 2024*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+		 No. 9 Lipscomb
BBN Invitational		 W 97–68  4–0
  20 – Robinson  11 – Williams  2 – Tied  Rupp Arena (19,314)
Lexington, KY
November 22, 2024*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+		 No. 9 Jackson State
BBN Invitational		 W 108–59  5–0
  22 – Brea  8 – Tied  7 – Kriisa  Rupp Arena (19,961)
Lexington, KY
November 26, 2024*
6:30 p.m., ESPNU		 No. 8 Western Kentucky
BBN Invitational		 W 87–68  6–0
  18 – Tied  10 – Tied  4 – Tied  Rupp Arena (20,049)
Lexington, KY
November 29, 2024*
7:00 p.m., SECN		 No. 8 Georgia State W 105–76  7–0
  19 – Robinson  8 – Carr  6 – Butler  Rupp Arena (19,914)
Lexington, KY
December 3, 2024*
9:30 p.m., ESPN		 No. 4 at Clemson
ACC–SEC Challenge		 L 66–70  7–1
  17 – Oweh  11 – Williams  5 – Butler  Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)
Clemson, SC
December 7, 2024*
10:00 p.m., ESPN2		 No. 4 vs. No. 7 Gonzaga
Battle in Seattle		 W 90–89 OT 8–1
  19 – Carr  9 – Garrison  5 – Robinson  Climate Pledge Arena (17,846)
Seattle, WA
December 11, 2024*
8:00 p.m., ESPN2		 No. 5 Colgate W 78–67  9–1
  17 – Brea  10 – Carr  4 – Oweh  Rupp Arena (19,646)
Lexington, KY
December 14, 2024*
5:15 p.m., ESPN		 No. 5 Louisville
Rivalry		 W 93–85  10–1
  33 – Butler  9 – Carr  6 – Butler  Rupp Arena (21,093)
Lexington, KY
December 21, 2024*
5:30 p.m., CBS		 No. 4 vs. Ohio State
CBS Sports Classic		 L 65–85  10–2
  21 – Oweh  8 – Williams  5 – Butler  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York City, NY
December 31, 2024*
2:00 p.m., ESPNU		 No. 10 Brown W 88–54  11–2
  14 – Carr  5 – Tied  4 – Garrison  Rupp Arena (20,042)
Lexington, KY
SEC regular season
January 4, 2025
11:00 a.m., ESPN		 No. 10 No. 6 Florida
Rivalry		 W 106–100  12–2
(1–0)		  23 – Brea  8 – Williams  8 – Butler  Rupp Arena (21,093)
Lexington, KY
January 7, 2025
7:00 p.m., SECN		 No. 6 at Georgia L 69–82  12–3
(1–1)		  20 – Butler  7 – Oweh  3 – Butler  Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Athens, GA
January 11, 2025
8:30 p.m., SECN		 No. 6 at No. 14 Mississippi State W 95–90  13–3
(2–1)		  27 – Robinson  12 – Williams  8 – Butler  Humphrey Coliseum (9,551)
Starkville, MS
January 14, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN2		 No. 8 No. 11 Texas A&M W 81–69  14–3
(3–1)		  22 – Robinson  12 – Williams  7 – Butler  Rupp Arena (20,039)
Lexington, KY
January 18, 2025
12:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 8 No. 4 Alabama L 97–102  14–4
(3–2)		  21 – Oweh  11 – Williams  8 – Butler  Rupp Arena (21,108)
Lexington, KY
January 25, 2025
2:30 p.m., ESPN		 No. 9 at Vanderbilt L 69–74  14–5
(3–3)		  21 – Oweh  12 – Oweh  4 – Williams  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
January 28, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 12 at No. 8 Tennessee
Rivalry		 W 78–73  15–5
(4–3)		  18 – Brea  15 – Williams  4 – Williams  Thompson–Boling Arena (22,272)
Knoxville, TN
February 1, 2025
9:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 12 Arkansas L 79–89  15–6
(4–4)		  22 – Williams  11 – Williams  3 – Williams  Rupp Arena (21,266)
Lexington, KY
February 4, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 14 at No. 25 Ole Miss L 84–98  15–7
(4–5)		  24 – Oweh  11 – Williams  10 – Williams  SJB Pavilion (9,128)
Oxford, MS
February 8, 2025
12:00 p.m., ESPN2		 No. 14 South Carolina W 80–57  16–7
(5–5)		  17 – Oweh  6 – Williams  6 – Brea  Rupp Arena (20,003)
Lexington, KY
February 11, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 15 No. 5 Tennessee
Rivalry		 W 75–64  17–7
(6–5)		  13 – Tied  6 – Oweh  4 – Butler  Rupp Arena (20,076)
Lexington, KY
February 15, 2025
8:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 15 at Texas L 78–82  17–8
(6–6)		  20 – Oweh  12 – Williams  3 – Tied  Moody Center (11,060)
Austin, TX
February 19, 2025
7:00 p.m., SECN		 No. 17 Vanderbilt W 82–61  18–8
(7–6)		  20 – Oweh  7 – Oweh  3 – Tied  Rupp Arena (20,164)
Lexington, KY
February 22, 2025
6:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 17 at No. 4 Alabama L 83–96  18–9
(7–7)		  20 – Brea  11 – Williams  6 – Williams  Coleman Coliseum (13,474)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 26, 2025
9:00 p.m., SECN		 No. 17 at Oklahoma W 83–82  19–9
(8–7)		  28 – Oweh  7 – Brea  6 – Butler  Lloyd Noble Center (10,162)
Norman, OK
March 1, 2025
1:00 p.m., ABC		 No. 17 No. 1 Auburn L 78–94  19–10
(8–8)		  21 – Brea  14 – Williams  7 – Williams  Rupp Arena (21,268)
Lexington, KY
March 4, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN2		 No. 19 LSU W 95–64  20–10
(9–8)		  24 – Oweh  8 – Oweh  5 – Butler  Rupp Arena (21,288)
Lexington, KY
March 8, 2025
12:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 19 at No. 15 Missouri W 91–83  21–10
(10–8)		  22 – Oweh  12 – Carr  3 – Carr  Mizzou Arena (15,061)
Columbia, MO
SEC tournament
March 13, 2025
9:30 p.m., SECN		 (6) No. 15 vs. (14) Oklahoma
Second round		 W 85–84  22–10
  27 – Oweh  6 – Noah  5 – Oweh  Bridgestone Arena (16,347)
Nashville, TN
March 14, 2025
9:30 p.m., SECN		 (6) No. 15 vs. (3) No. 5 Alabama
Quarterfinal		 L 70–99  22–11
  18 – Carr  7 – Williams  4 – Williams  Bridgestone Arena (18,608)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2025*
7:10 p.m., CBS		 (3 MW) No. 18 vs. (14 MW) Troy
First round		 W 76–57  23–11
  20 – Oweh  13 – Williams  6 – Oweh  Fiserv Forum (16,894)
Milwaukee, WI
March 23, 2025*
5:15 p.m., CBS		 (3 MW) No. 18 vs. (6 MW) Illinois
Second round		 W 84–75  24–11
  23 – Brea  10 – Williams  6 – Williams  Fiserv Forum (16,829)
Milwaukee, WI
March 28, 2025*
7:39 p.m., TBS/TruTV		 (3 MW) No. 18 vs. (2 MW) No. 6 Tennessee
Sweet Sixteen		 L 65–78  24–12
  18 – Butler  6 – Butler  3 – Tied  Lucas Oil Stadium (28,968)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Eastern Time.
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Rankings

See also: 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
More information Week, Poll ...
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP2319984541010689121415171719151812
Coaches23181186541011799121418212324192114
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References

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