# 2024–25 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

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

## 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. Desoite 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. This marked John Calipari's final season as Kentucky's head coach, he left for Arkansas a month later.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Rob Dillingham | 0 | G | 6'3" | 176 | Freshman | Hickory, NC | Declared for 2024 NBA draft |
| Justin Edwards | 1 | G | 6'8" | 203 | Freshman | Philadelphia, PA | Declared for 2024 NBA draft |
| Aaron Bradshaw | 2 | F | 7'1" | 226 | Freshman | Roselle, NJ | Transferred to Ohio State |
| Adou Thiero | 3 | G | 6'8" | 222 | Sophomore | Leetsdale, PA | Transferred to Arkansas |
| Tre Mitchell | 4 | F | 6'9" | 231 | GS Senior | Pittsburgh, PA | Graduated |
| Antonio Reeves | 12 | G | 6'6" | 195 | GS Senior | Chicago, IL | Graduated/2024 NBA draft |
| Brennan Canada | 14 | F | 6'5" | 200 | GS Senior | Mount Sterling, KY | Graduated |
| Reed Sheppard | 15 | G | 6'3" | 187 | Freshman | London, KY | Declared for 2024 NBA draft |
| Joey Hart | 20 | G | 6'5" | 203 | Freshman | Linton, IN | Transferred to Ball State |
| D. J. Wagner | 21 | G | 6'4" | 192 | Freshman | Camden, NJ | Transferred to Arkansas |
| Jordan Burks | 23 | G | 6'8" | 202 | Freshman | Decatur, AL | Transferred to Georgetown |
| Kareem Watkins | 25 | G | 5'8" | 175 | Senior | Camden, NJ | Walk-on; graduated |
| Ugonna Onyenso | 33 | F | 7'0" | 247 | Sophomore | Owerri, Nigeria | Transferred to Kansas State |
| Zvonimir Ivišić | 44 | F | 7'2" | 234 | Freshman | Vodice, Croatia | Transferred to Arkansas |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous college |
| Otega Oweh | 00 | G | 6'5" | 210 | Junior | Somerset, NJ | Oklahoma |
| Lamont Butler | 1 | G | 6'2" | 207 | GS Senior | Moreno Valley, CA | San Diego State |
| Jaxson Robinson | 2 | G | 6'7" | 200 | GS Senior | Ada, OK | BYU |
| Koby Brea | 4 | G | 6'6" | 205 | GS Senior | Washington Heights, NY | Dayton |
| Andrew Carr | 7 | F | 6'10" | 220 | GS Senior | West Chester, PA | Wake Forest |
| Brandon Garrison | 10 | C | 6'11" | 245 | Sophomore | Oklahoma City, OK | Oklahoma State |
| Ansley Almonor | 15 | F | 6'7" | 244 | Senior | Spring Valley, NY | Fairleigh Dickinson |
| Amari Williams | 22 | C | 6'10" | 255 | GS Senior | Nottingham, England | Drexel |
| Kerr Kriisa | 77 | G | 6'3" | 190 | GS Senior | Tartu, Estonia | West Virginia |

### Class of 2024 commitments

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | 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 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 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 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Trent Noah SG | Harlan, KY | Harlan County High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | May 8, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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.com. Retrieved July 11, 2024. "2024 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 11, 2024. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 11, 2024. "Kentucky 2024 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved July 11, 2024. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| 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 Quarterfinals | L 70–99 | 22–11 | 18 – Carr | 7 – Williams | 4 – Williams | Bridgestone Arena (18,608) Nashville, TN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2025* 7:10 pm, CBS | (3 MW) No. 18 | vs. (14 MW) Troy First Round | | | | | | Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, WI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 23 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 18 | |
| Coaches | 23 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 21 | |