IU basketball 2025-26 non-conference opponent preview: Kentucky

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IU basketball’s 2025-26 non-conference schedule was finalized on July 1 and Inside the Hall will have a team-by-team look at each opponent. Today: Kentucky

The Darian DeVries era in Bloomington will tip off with a challenging non-conference schedule. With four high-major opponents on the slate, including two neutral-site battles and a true road game, the Hoosiers will be tested early. This mini-series on IU’s non-conference opponents for next season will examine the four high-major opponents and review the rest of the schedule.

Previously: Marquette, Kansas State, Louisville

Today: Kentucky (24-12 overall, 10-8 in conference play in 2024-25)

John Calipari parted ways with the program after 15 seasons in Lexington, leaving behind a national championship and two additional Final Fours. Kentucky then turned to former player Mark Pope to reset the program. Pope brought in the No. 5 transfer portal class and the Wildcats succeeded at a high level for a coach’s first season, struggling with consistency in the regular season but reaching the Sweet Sixteen. In year two under Pope, the Wildcats have lofty expectations to be in the race for the SEC title.

Kentucky roster outlook

With seven of last year’s nine-man transfer class being one-year rentals, Pope replenished with the No. 5 overall class between high schoolers and transfers. Yet among two top-25 recruits, a top-10 transfer and the rest of the bunch, one returnee is perhaps the most significant piece of next season’s team.

After earning second-team All-SEC honors, leading scorer Otega Oweh tested NBA draft waters before announcing his return to Kentucky for his final season. Joining the Wildcats from Oklahoma, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists – all career highs – on 49.2 percent shooting. Oweh figures again to be the focal point of Pope’s offense.

The Wildcats repeated with the No. 5 transfer class, this time made up of six players, and Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance is the star figure. A 2024 top-10 recruit and now the No. 10 transfer, Quaintance averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.6 blocks and 1.1 steals on 52.5 percent shooting last season as a freshman in Tempe.

Quaintance’s health status could determine Kentucky’s ceiling for next season. The 6-foot-9 forward tore his ACL in February but is reportedly aiming for a fall return.

Four of Kentucky’s five other transfers are ranked inside the top 65. Pittsburgh guard Jaland Lowe and Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen will shore up backcourt depth and forwards Tulane transfer Cam Williams and Alabama transfer Mouhamed Dioubate will be significant role players. Miami (OH) 7-foot-1 transfer Reece Potter rounds out the class.

Lefty 6-foot-4 guard Jasper Johnson and 6-foot-11 center Malachi Moreno are ranked Nos. 21 and 25 in the 247Sports Composite, respectively. Johnson will have to compete with Oweh, Lower and Aberdeen for minutes, but Moreno is set up to be a contributor down low from day one. Forward Braydon Hawthorne, ranked No. 107, is the third recruit in the class alongside 6-foot-11 Croatian forward Andrija Jelavic.

The matchup

The first thing that sticks out in this matchup is the coaches’ differing philosophies in tempo. In year one under Pope, Kentucky ranked 17th in EvanMiya’s true tempo stat, a measure of a team’s game pace estimated based on the number of possessions. In comparison, Darian DeVries’ West Virginia ranked 320th nationally.

Related to pace, 3-point accuracy will play a big role in the contest, but volume won’t be an issue. Kentucky attempted 910 triples last year and connected at a 37.5 percent rate, while also allowing 991 3-point attempts by opponents, yet limiting them to a 30.5 percent clip. DeVries has emphasized Indiana’s prioritization of incorporating long-distance shooting into the offense.

How will IU handle its first true road test? Given the roster’s relative inexperience of major atmospheres and high-level experience – only three Hoosiers have Power 5 experience – can this team overcome adversity with nearly 21,000 fans clad in blue and white erupting at every Indiana error and Wildcat make?

IU will travel to Lexington to face the Wildcats on December 13 in Rupp Arena, with a tip-off time to be determined. Kentucky went 15-3 at home last season.

Bart Torvik’s 2026 projection lists UK as a top-15 team and inside the top 10 of adjusted defensive efficiency. The Hoosiers are ranked just outside the top 40.

(Photo credit: UK Athletics)

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