On Jan. 7, slightly over a month ago, Kentucky men’s basketball was drowned by the unranked Missouri Tigers in front of its own fans at Rupp Arena. 

The Cats lost 73-68 in a game that was theirs, unraveling in the final minutes, blowing an eight-point lead with less than five minutes to go, spotlighting their flaws, lack of team chemistry and inability to close out games.

When I say “drowned”, I’m more so referencing Big Blue Nation, that fanbase that was already on edge after Kentucky got off to such a disheartening start to the 2025-26 campaign, going 1-5 record against AP Top 25 opponents while opening SEC play with a 15-point loss at No. 14 Alabama.

Only two games into conference play, many Fans had lost all hope and were calling for head coach Mark Pope’s job, having lost trust in him after he led Kentucky to a Sweet 16 last year in his inaugural season at the helm.

Fast forward a month later, on Feb. 7, Kentucky completed yet another regular season sweep over No. 25 Tennessee, taking down the Vols 74-71 inside of Rupp Arena, while rocking denim throwback uniforms that “The Untouchables” debuted back during their 1995-96 national championship-winning season. 

Unsurprisingly, most of them were in attendance and were honored prior to tipoff.

From the moment the ball tipped, all the way until the Cats solidified the win with just seconds to spare, Rupp Arena wasn’t just loud, it was chaotic; the fanbase was rejuvenated, and Rupp Arena felt alive again.

How could this be? Why was this the case when just a month ago, the city was lifeless?

It wasn’t just because “The Untouchables” were in attendance or because it was a rivalry match-up. It stemmed from the team’s response after that Missouri game, where it clearly turned it up a notch.

Following that loss, Kentucky went on a winning spree, coming out on top in seven of its last eight games, while wiping out two ranked teams during that stretch.

The Cats immediately responded with a 24-point win over Mississippi State the very next contest, completely dominating all aspects of the game, led by guard Otega Oweh, who had a game-high 22 points, along with three rebounds and five assists.

Following that victory, the Cats overcame an 18-point second-half deficit and beat LSU 75-74 in Baton Rouge. This time, it was courtesy of a game-winning buzzer beater from freshman big man Malachi Moreno.

At this point, the Wildcats responded with back-to-back wins, however, their opponents weren’t the brawniest, still leaving doubt in the minds of college basketball fans and critics. 

Building off that mini win streak, the Cats then went down to Knoxville, Tenn., where they upset No. 24 Tennessee 80-78 in the two sides’ first regular season meeting of the year. 

This time, Kentucky trailed by as much as 17 points, but was able to make it out alive.

Denzel Aberdeen was the main Volunteer killer that game, scoring a team-high 22 points, but it was a serious all-around contribution from mostly everyone, as Oweh (12), Collin Chandler (12), Jasper Johnson (12) and Mo Dioubate (10) all accompanied Aberdeen with double-digits on the scoresheet. 

After that, Kentucky recorded back-to-back wins in Rupp Arena, shutting down Texas 85-80 on Jan. 21 and Ole Miss 72-63 on Jan. 24, bringing its SEC record to 5-2, riding a five-game win streak, its longest of the season. 

Pope’s squad then malfunctioned in Nashville, Tenn., losing 80-55 at No. 18 Vanderbilt, ending its win streak while re-starting the fanbase’s heartbeat, the nervous heartbeat that was provoked following the Missouri loss. 

The Cats built a nice win streak, got the best of a ranked team, and then bang, they hit the wall and fell to a seriously competitive opponent, getting bullied in nearly every aspect of the statsheet from field-goal percentage to 3-point percentage to rebounding.

But similar to the Missouri loss, the response was immediate.

Kentucky went on the road and undoubtedly earned its biggest win of the season, beating its former head coach John Calipari and the No. 15 Arkansas Razorbacks 85-77. 

The game in Fayetteville, Ark., brought out a Kentucky team that we had yet to witness, banging shot after shot, after shot, from the start.

For the first time, Kentucky competed for a full 40 minutes, playing with a competitive edge while showing numerous signs of its clear will-to-win. 

“It was definitely personal,” Oweh said during his postgame interview on the SEC Network. “But more the fact that, you know, the last time we played (at No. 18 Vanderbilt), the last outing we had, we didn’t really do a good job of representing Kentucky.”

Oweh did what he does best and guided the Cats, scoring a game-high 24 points, while notching a game-high tying eight rebounds and a game-high tying three assists.

On the defensive end, Dioubate had three blocks, while Moreno (two) and Aberdeen (one) blocked some shots as well, and as a whole, the Cats limited projected NBA lottery pick Darius Acuff Jr. to just five first-half points. 

As one could imagine, in the following game the Cats then beat a struggling Oklahoma squad 94-78, led by Oweh, a former Sooner, who had a game-high 24 points.

Brandon Garrison, who battled the Sooners as a member of Oklahoma State, recorded his first double-double as a Wildcat with 20 points and 11 rebounds. 

That brings us up to the most recent tilt on Saturday night, against the No. 25 Volunteers, who were seeking revenge after UK overruled them back on Jan. 17.

Every Cat understood that it was a big night with the “untouchables” being in town, but they were laser-focused on writing their own story – and Pope made sure to reiterate that.

“Before the game, coach came into the locker room and he was talking about the ‘96 team being recognized, wearing the denim uniforms,” Moreno said. “But at the end of the day, it’s not about their story, it’s about our story and what we write. So I think him just saying that really gave us full gas.”

With all the headlines surrounding Tennessee’s trip to Rupp Arena, UK managed to shoot 47% from the field, 46% from deep and down the Volunteers once again after only leading for a grand total of 4:38.

Down the stretch, with 0:32 remaining, Chandler nailed a crucial go-ahead 3-point field goal that would give the Cats a 71-69 lead that they wouldn’t let go of, solidifying their fourth-ranked win and fifth quad-one win of the season.  

“I feel like it’s going in,” Pope said when asked about how confident he feels when Chandler shoots the ball. “I feel like it’s going in and I feel good when he’s shooting it.  We have a pretty faithful team and our guys, man, they are earning their belief.”

The Cats worked tremendously hard to be mentally prepared for Tennessee’s arrival and you can’t help but acknowledge their winning surge following that Missouri defeat, because they had nothing but confidence running through their veins.

This Kentucky team’s story is still being written, game by game, chapter by chapter, but there is a main theme in all of this, one that surfaced following that Missouri defeat: No matter what dark days dawn upon you, don’t ever give up. 

The Cats are back on Saturday, Feb. 14, when they travel down to Gainesville, Fla. to battle the reigning national champions, No. 17 Florida (17-6, 8-2 SEC). Tipoff for that game is set for 3 p.m. ET and can be viewed on ABC.