LEXINGTON — Kentucky basketball and its fervid fanbase annually own sky-high expectations. Those vibes haven't carried outside the borders of the Bluegrass State entering the 2026-27 season, however.
UK is picked to finish seventh in the 16-team SEC this season. The Wildcats begin their third campaign under coach Mark Pope slotted 23rd in both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and Associated Press Top 25.
That won't earn Pope any leeway from the Wildcats' ardent supporters, who are starved to see their program return to winning league titles — of the regular-season and tournament varieties — and booking extended stays in the NCAA Tournament.
Pope is 2 for 2 in clinching bids to the Big Dance. But he's yet to make it beyond the Sweet 16, which he did in Year 1. Kentucky's season ended in the second round of March Madness in 2025-26. UK hasn't appeared in the Final Four since 2015 and hasn't captured the national championship since 2012.
The quest starts again Nov. 3, when Kentucky tips off the season against Manhattan at Rupp Arena.
Here are three keys for the 2026-27 Kentucky basketball team ahead of the season:
Kentucky basketball must prevent injuries from ravaging another roster
It's a broken record at this point. But injuries have decimated Pope's roster in his first two seasons. In his maiden go-round in 2024-25, the Wildcats had every scholarship player available only seven times in 36 games. They had even worse luck in 2025-26: UK was at full strength just three times in 36 contests. That means in 72 outings, Pope has had every player cleared just 13.9% of the time (10 of 72).
Kentucky already is starting off this season on the wrong foot — no pun intended.
The foot injury that cut short Kam Williams' first season in Lexington has been slow to heal correctly. He didn't suit up in the team's exhibition opener against Little Rock on Oct. 16. After that 69-49 win, Pope said he hoped Williams would be sidelined no more than a month. But injuries are an iffy thing. Until he's back on the floor, speculation will abound about Williams' status.
There are two other Cats also battling injuries at the moment: senior guard Jerone Morton and junior forward Trent Noah. Pope said Noah's nagging hamstring has the Kentucky native "struggling right now." Morton suffered a knee injury during a preseason practice in September and his return timetable is unknown.
Perhaps the only solace UK can take from the ailments afflicting Morton and Noah: Neither was expected to start. Both are around to soak up minutes off the bench. Williams is another story. He was rounding into form at the time his foot injury occurred last January.
For Kentucky to reach its potential in 2026-27, it needs Williams to be at his best. Yet history has shown betting on Pope's players to stay healthy is a risky proposition.
Make further gains on offensive rebounds
A primary talking point for Pope upon assuming the reins of his alma mater was his goal to shoot at least 30 3-pointers per game. But to reach that figure, he said his team needed to accomplish another objective: Pulling down at least 30% of their offensive rebounding opportunities.
Kentucky came up short in that area in Pope's first season, finishing at 26.3%, per TeamRankings.com. That had UK well outside the top 200 in that category. The Cats reaching the Sweet 16 despite this less-than-stellar effort on the offensive boards is a testament to just how lethal they were offensively in 2024-25. (They were No. 7 in Division I in points per game, averaging 84.4 per outing. And they also were the most accurate 3-point shooting club in the conference.)
Kentucky improved its offensive rebounding rate last season — this time achieving Pope's goal of 30% or better; it ended at 32.1%, putting it in a three-way tie for 67th in the country. Look at the top four in that category: Tennessee, Florida, Illinois and Arizona. The last two comprised half of the Final Four. The Vols advanced to the Elite Eight for the third straight season. And while the Gators fell in last-second fashion in the second round, they were a No. 1 seed in the tournament and the most fiercesome SEC squad around last season. For context: Michigan, the national champion, garnered a 33.6% offensive rebounding rate. While 33 teams nationally bettered that clip, the Wolverines were so dominant in so many other areas, not obliterating opponents on the offensive glass wasn't much of a concern.
If these numbers prove anything to Pope and his staff, it's that they should continue to emphasize crashing the boards offensively. Then, perhaps, a deep run in March Madness will follow.
Cats must learn to share
The old saying that "there's only one basketball to go around" comes to mind for this group. Especially the transfer class. Guards Zoom Diallo (Washington) and Alex Wilkins (Furman) led their teams in field goal attempts per game last season. Justin McBride (James Madison) and Milan Momcilovic (Iowa State) were second at their respective schools in that department. All four hoisted at least 11 shots per game, topped by Wilkins at 13.7.
Center Malachi Moreno wants to showcase improved shooting touch away from the basket. Redshirt freshman Braydon Hawthorne aims to announce himself on the national stage. International big man Ousmane N'Diaye hasn't been shy about letting it fly without a second thought. Williams yearns to pick up where he left off before the foot injury derailed him last season.
Needless to say, that's a lot of players to keep happy. How well the Wildcats navigate that quandary could be the difference between a good season and a great one.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 3 keys for Kentucky basketball, Mark Pope heading into 2026-27 season