Ben Roberts

Big personal news: I've left the Herald-Leader, but I'll still be covering the Kentucky men's basketball team full time. If you enjoyed my coverage in the past, I’ll need your support to make this work. Here’s more on my new (independent!) approach: insidekentuckybasketball.com…

Reminder: The Inside Kentucky Basketball Newsletter is free and drops every Friday morning. Sign up now to get tomorrow's edition delivered straight to your inbox. And if you're interested in UK recruiting, this is the one for you: insidekentuckybasketball.com…

🔵🏀 Zoom Diallo had another shaky outing as Kentucky's PG1 (and Mason Williams was one of the stars yet again) in an exhibition win over UCF last night. A closer look at Diallo's role in the Cats' backcourt as the regular season nears: insidekentuckybasketball.com…

The final from Rupp, with Milan Momcilovic leading all scorers, Mason Williams impressing again and Malachi Moreno nearly nabbing a triple double.

Alex Wilkins floater at the buzzer to force OT against UCF in Rupp Arena. Free basketball. A preseason preview of a guy who's going to want the ball in those situations when the games actually matter.

The halftime box from Rupp, where UK has 12 assists on 14 made baskets. Both teams shot poorly from the field to start. Cats led by 13 with 2:45 left in the half, then the defensive rotations kind of fell apart there at the end.

Oh, and Doug Shows is on the whistle tonight. Tune in!

Reminder: It's a 6 p.m. tipoff for Kentucky vs. UCF in tonight's exhibition finale. (That's, like, right now.) SEC Network.

🔵🏀 A closer look at the expectations (and doubts) around Kentucky heading into the 2026-27 regular season. And why they don't much matter. "We're all kind of flying by the seat of our pants in this era of college basketball." insidekentuckybasketball.com…

🔵🏀 Kentucky's starting five is intact, but injuries (a bane of the Mark Pope era) are still a thing this preseason. An inside look at what the injured Wildcats are doing behind the scenes, and why each will be important to this UK basketball team: insidekentuckybasketball.com…

Where does Milan Momcilovic need to get better? Differences between Kentucky and Iowa State? How can Pope’s offense open him up even more? What’s a “bad shot,” according to the UK coach? A 1-on-1 conversation with the Kentucky forward: insidekentuckybasketball.com…

🔵🏀 “He's gonna be fine with any 3 I take.” Milan Momcilovic goes 1-on-1 with Inside Kentucky Basketball for a conversation that dives deeper into his game. Areas of improvement. Mark Pope’s offense. 10 3s a game. And a whole lot more. Check it out: insidekentuckybasketball.com…

🔵🏀 Mason Williams hasn't even played his first real college basketball game yet, and he's already looking like something special for this Kentucky team. Last night's win over No. 19 Texas Tech was just the latest example: insidekentuckybasketball.com…

Final box score from Kentucky's preseason win over No. 19 Texas Tech in Rupp Arena. Mason Williams was impressive again. Alex Wilkins found ways to make a difference despite his shot not falling for much of the night.

Halftime box score. Kentucky used a 15-0 run there, with some nice defensive pressure during that stretch, to take the lead over Texas Tech at the half, despite shooting 1/11 on 3s. 11 assists. No turnovers in the final 9:07.

Alex Wilkins' shot hasn't been falling as a Wildcat so far (4/14 FGs, 2/10 3s) but Pope wants him to keep shooting when open. And he's a feisty competitor with real vision. Some big defensive plays and nice passes from him in that stretch. Cats on a 10-0 run here and up 28-25.

Good stuff here from Derek on an intriguing 2027 center who was in Lexington earlier this month and would be a big addition to Mark Pope's recruiting class. On the UK visit: "He was blown away."