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5 Storylines Two Weeks Out From College Basketball

Brandon Ramseyby: Brandon Ramsey8 hours agoBRamseyKSR
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Photo courtesy of Jan Kim Lim | UCLA Athletics

It is that time of year again. The weather is starting to turn a little more crisp, football is in full swing, and the holidays are quickly approaching. However, that also means that college basketball season is right around the corner. Kentucky just played their Blue-White Scrimmage on Friday and have their Pro Day and Big Blue Madness in the rearview mirror. Next up is an exhibition contest against #1 Purdue on Friday at Rupp Arena. It is hard to believe we are just two weeks away from the 2025-2026 college basketball season.

In honor of hitting the 14-day-out mark, let’s take a look at five more of the biggest storylines entering the 2025-2026 season. Every five days we will release five more headlines and ultimately reach a total of 25 when the season begins on the 3rd of November. As Kentucky Sports Radio’s resident college basketball junkie, I will have plenty of other preview content, including my annual College Basketball Manifesto, over the next few weeks. It is almost here, folks!

As Jon Rothstein would say: And Here. We. Go.

(Not So) Secret Scrimmage Season

What happens behind closed doors doesn’t always stay behind closed doors. Over the last week or so there has started to be some news trickle out from various “secret” scrimmages. There have also been some exciting televised scrimmages to watch as well. DePaul beat Loyola Chicago 92-90 in an exciting matchup between Chicago area teams. Oklahoma State held off Auburn in a thriller. Labaron Philon scored 28 points to lead Alabama over Florida State. Then, we are just days away from a Top 10 exhibition matchup between Kentucky and Purdue. Below are some notable secret scrimmage results that have been made public.

Mid-Majors to Watch

By the time March Madness rolls around the mid-major programs become the national darlings. However, they don’t get the consistent love throughout the season. That is why we always take time in our preseason previews to try and give you a few teams worth following beginning in November. These are some mid-major programs that should have great years and be ready to contend for a Cinderella run when March rolls around.

Akron Zips. Coach John Groce has turned Akron into about as consistent of a mid-major contender as you can in the NIL and transfer portal era. Now entering year nine, Coach Groce could have his best team yet. They will begin the year inside of the KenPom Top 100 (#94) led by senior guard Tavari Johnson who earned First Team All-MAC honors last season. Look for Ohio State transfer Evan Mahaffey to make an instant impact alongside a handful of veteran returns as well. The Zips went 17-1 in MAC play last season and will be looking to make their third straight NCAA Tournament.

High Point Panthers. Coach Alan Huss quickly turned High Point into one of the exciting, and best, mid-majors in the country. Now, Coach Flynn Clayman will look to take over the reigns and keep the Panthers on top of the Big South. Rob Martin and Scotty Washington were both selected as Preseason First Team All-Big South honorees while High Point gathered eight of nine first place votes to be selected at the top of the conference poll. Both Martin (Southeast Missouri) and Washington (CSUN) are transfers that earned All-Conference honors at their previous stops.

Yale Bulldogs. An NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons, Yale returns forward Nick Townsend who should make a push for Ivy League Player of the Year. The 6’7″ senior averaged 15.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game last season. In total, the Bulldogs return five rotation players from last year’s team that went 13-1 in conference play and only lost twice after December 21st. Coach James Jones is 418-319, including a 225-125 mark in Ivy League play, entering his 27th season as the Bulldogs’ head coach.

New Faces in New Places – Players Edition

It is no secret that the transfer portal has changed the landscape of college basketball. Once again, many of the most coveted roster additions came by way of other schools this past offseason. In this recurring yearly segment of our previews, let’s take a look at some of the highest profile transfers that are expected to make major impacts at their new schools.

Oscar Cluff. Braden Smith is the Preseason National Player of the Year, Trey Kaufman-Renn is a Preseason All-American, and Fletcher Loyer is entering his fourth year as a major player for the Purdue Boilermakers. However, if they get over the hump and make it to a Final Four this season it could be thanks to Oscar Cluff. The 6’11” 255 pound big man averaged 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds last season at South Dakota State.

Donovan Dent. The most sought after guard in the transfer portal, Dent made the move from New Mexico to UCLA. A dynamic playmaker, Dent was named Mountain West Player of the Year after averaging 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per game last season as a junior. He will look to lead what could be a vastly improved UCLA offense this season.

Boogie Fland. It could be said that Arkansas was better without Boogie Fland last season. Though he was, statistically, one of the best playmakers in the country when he played, the Razorbacks were 0-5 in the SEC when he went down with an injury and eventually turned things around and reached the Sweet 16. Fland will look to make the most of a change of scenery as he suits up for the defending national champions.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie. Gillespie was an All-Missouri Valley performer at Belmont as a sophomore and then earned All-Big Ten honors as a junior at Maryland. He should immediately be one of the best guards in the SEC now. The 6’0″ playmaker averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.9 steals per game for the Terrapins. He certainly fits the mold as an elite defender for Coach Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers.

Yaxel Lendeborg. A likely preseason All-American, Lendeborg turned down what probably would have been a late first round NBA Draft selection to head to Michigan from UAB. The 6’9″ forward averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game last season for the Blazers. He will be a part of what should be one of the best front courts in the country this year at Michigan.

Blue-White Scrimmage Takeaways

Kentucky’s annual Blue-White Scrimmage was held at Historic Memorial Gymnasium on Friday night. Obviously Jayden Quaintance did not participate, but otherwise Big Blue Nation got their first real live look at the 2025-2026 Kentucky Wildcats. Here are a few takeaways from the intersquad matchup.

  • Kentucky’s playmaking will be vastly improved in 2025-2026. Lamont Butler was an outstanding point guard in year one for Coach Pope. However, Jaland Lowe is simply a different level of playmaker. Denzel Aberdeen and Jasper Johnson are more dynamic playmakers as well. Last season the ‘Cats had to rely so heavily on offensive execution. This time around they will be able to let individuals make some plays more often.
  • Unfortunately, Jaland Lowe might also miss some time. All initial reports are that any and all worst case scenarios were avoided. However, Kentucky’s starting point guard did go down with a shoulder injury late in the exhibition. X-Rays were negative and he hasn’t been seeing wearing a sling of any kind since. It remains to be seen when he will return, but it certainly did put a bit of a damper on Friday night’s event.
  • Defensive Rebounding could a problem. Last season the Wildcats were largely bailed out by a historically dominant defensive rebounding season by Amari Williams. Kentucky finished 35th in Defensive Rebounding Percentage, per KenPom. Based on what we saw on Friday night it could be a struggle to repeat that performance. Jayden Quaintance will help that cause, but it was disappointing to see Brandon Garrison and Mouhamed Dioubate’s squad allow seven offensive rebounds. The defensive rebounding will be something to watch early in the season.
  • Malachi Moreno continues to live up to the hype. Kentucky’s McDonald’s All-American freshman was excellent finishing with 4 points and 9 rebounds in just shy of 19 minutes of play on Friday night. The 7’0″ center has been impressive every step of the way leading into the 2025-2026 season. He will be forced into action during Quaintance’s absence, but he might require playing time even after his return.

Associated Press Preseason All-Americans

On Monday afternoon the Associated Press released their preseason All-American list. Purdue’s Braden Smith was a unanimous selection. Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, and Florida’s Alex Condon also were selected.

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2025-10-20