< Previous10 n @KentuckyMBBOfficial Grocer of UK Athletics IN EVERY AISLE LOW PRICES Scan to learn more.WEEKNIGHTS 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY 9:00 a.m. 12 n @KentuckyMBBSeries vs. Valpo History Kentucky and Valpo have met on the hardwood twice in the series' history. UK owns wins in both matchups. Friday's meet- ing marks the second ever matchup inside of Rupp Arena and the first since the 2016- 17 season. • The Wildcats earned a 83-68 win over the Beacons in the opening round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament in the first-ever matchup. Keith Bogans poured in a team- high 21 points and added six rebounds in the win. Tayshaun Prince added 13 points, five rebounds and a steal. Valpo's Raitis Grafs scored 21 points and had eight rebounds for Homer Drew's unranked squad • Kentucky then claimed an 87-63 win in Rupp on Dec. 7, 2016. Bam Adebayo had 16 points and seven rebounds, while De'Aar- on Fox chipped in with nine points, seven boards and five assists in the win for the Cats. Alec Peters scored 23 points and had eight rebounds for the Beacons Kentucky in Season Openers Following its season opening win over Nicholls by a 77-51 score, Kentucky im- proved to 102-21 all-time in season open- ers (the Wildcats did not have a schedule in 1952-53 due to NCAA suspension). Included in Kentucky's 102-21 all-time season-opening record was a 34-game win- ning streak from the 1927-28 season to the 1961-62 season. • Kentucky is 107-16 all-time in home openers • UK is 46-4 in the first game played in Rupp Arena for the season • Mark Pope is 2-0 in season openers as UK's head coach More from Tuesday's Victory ... • This was the first time Kentucky and Nicholls met in men’s basketball • Kentucky held Nicholls to 51 points, lowest of any opponent in the Mark Pope era • UK is now 13-0 under Pope when hold- ing the opponent under 70 points • Sparked by four 3-pointers, Collin Chandler led all scorers with a career-high 15 points and tied his career best for assists with four • Denzel Aberdeen scored 10 points and notched a career-high six assists • Three Wildcats played their first colle- giate games: Andrija Jelavic, Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno • Mo Dioubate had seven points, seven rebounds and a career-high-tying four assists • Pope has won eight season openers in a row, including his final season at Utah Val- ley, all five openers at BYU, and now two at Kentucky Preseason Honors Several Wildcats have earned presea- son honors heading into the 2025-26 sea- son, headlined by Otega Oweh. Oweh has hauled in Southeastern Con- ference Player of the Year preseason nods by the league's media and coaches as well as ESPN. He's also an early season candi- date for All-America honors from CBS, Jay Bilas, The Field of 68, College Hoops Today and Blue Ribbon Magazine. Furthermore, he's one of 20 candidates on the presea- son watch list for the Jerry West Award which recognizes the nation's best shoot- ing guard. He's also an early-season can- didate for the NABC Player of the Year, the Naismith Trophy and the Oscar Robertson Player of the Year award. Jaland Lowe has been a candidate for SEC recognition as well, joining Oweh on preseason All-SEC squads. He's also one of 20 selections for the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which highlights the nation's best point guard. He joined Oweh on the Naismith Trophy Watch List. Jayden Quaintance is an early-season candidate for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar honor which recognizes the nation's best center. Jasper Johnson has been tabbed an ear- ly-season candidate for the Wayman Tis- dale Award which recognizes the nation's best freshman player. From Press Row 14 n @KentuckyMBB KENTUCKY BASKETBALLWe’re your Shield. We’re your Shelter. 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Ranked on the list for three years in a row! FORBES WORLD’S BEST INSURANCE COMPANIES2025-26 SEC Standings and Statistics TeamSECOverallHomeRoad Alabama0-01-01-00-0 Arkansas0-01-01-00-0 Auburn0-01-01-00-0 Georgia0-01-01-00-0 Kentucky0-01-01-00-0 LSU0-01-01-00-0 Ole Miss0-01-01-00-0 Mississippi State0-01-01-00-0 Missouri0-01-00-01-0 Oklahoma0-01-01-00-0 South Carolina0-01-01-00-0 Tennessee0-01-01-00-0 Texas A&M0-01-01-00-0 Vanderbilt0-01-01-00-0 Florida0-00-10-00-0 Texas0-00-10-00-0 Scoring Player-Team.............................................................PPG 1. Hall, Keyshawn - AU ...............................................28.00 2. Hubbard, Josh - MS ............................................... 27.00 Haugh, Thomas - UF ...............................................27.00 4. Brazile, Trevon - AR .................................................25.00 5. Acuff Jr., Darius - AR ...............................................22.00 Philon, Labaron - UA...............................................22.00 Rebounding Player-Team............................................................RPG 1. McGlockton, Devin - VU..........................................12.00 Macura, Sergej - MS................................................12.00 Handlogten, Micah - UF ..........................................12.00 4. Phillips Jr., Shawn - MO ...........................................11.00 Brazile, Trevon - AR .................................................11.00 Assists Player-Team............................................................APG 1. Miles, Duke - VU.......................................................9.00 2. Philon, Labaron - UA .................................................8.00 Thomas Jr., Dedan - LS .............................................8.00 Hubbard, Josh - MS...................................................8.00 5. Thomas, Meleek - AR................................................7.00 Wagner, D.J. - AR.......................................................7.00 Steals Player-Team.............................................................SPG 1. Overton, Kevin - AU ..................................................5.00 2. Wilkinson, Jeremiah - UG ..........................................4.50 3. Collins, Frankie - VU .................................................4.00 Hill, Marcus - AM ......................................................4.00 Tanner, Tyler - VU ......................................................4.00 Blocks Player-Team............................................................BPG 1. Sherrell, Aiden - UA ..................................................4.00 2. Tanner, Tyler - VU......................................................3.00 Scott, James - UM ....................................................3.00 Wague, Mohamed - OK ............................................ 3.00 Nwoko, Michael - LS .................................................3.00 Pack, Nijel - OK ....................................................... 3.00 2025-26 Associated Press Rankings As of November 1, 2025 (preseason) TeamRecord Points 1Purdue (35)0-01485 2Houston (16)0-01459 3Florida (8)0-01382 4UConn (2)0-01299 5St. John's0-01203 6Duke0-01123 7Michigan0-01084 8BYU0-01078 9Kentucky0-01056 10Texas Tech0-01015 11Louisville0-0966 12UCLA0-0741 13Arizona0-0715 14Arkansas0-0695 15Alabama0-0620 16Iowa State0-0616 17Illinois0-0567 18Tennessee0-0462 19Kansas0-0453 20Auburn0-0424 21Gonzaga0-0387 22Michigan State0-0188 23Creighton0-0158 24Wisconsin0-0136 25North Carolina0-0104 Around the CountryAround the SEC 18 n @KentuckyMBB KENTUCKY BASKETBALLNext >