Five things to watch for in Kentucky's Blue-White Game

The practices are supposed to be harder than the games at Kentucky, right? No outside opponent, but the Wildcats are set to take the floor for their first live appearance of the season with the program’s annual Blue-White Game scheduled for this evening inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.

Here’s how things will work tonight: Kenny Brooks and the women’s team will tip off the event at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Mark Pope and the men’s team shortly after, both on SEC Network+ with UK legends Makayla Epps and Travis Ford joining Noah Frary on the broadcast. Prepare for a shorter scrimmage on the women’s side, then a longer run for the men. Tickets are still available for the event on Ticketmaster.

As for the actual production to expect, we all know this event is a mixed bag with some notoriously misleading results. Remember Darnell Dodson’s game-high 26 points in 2009, Josh Harrellson’s 26 rebounds in 2010, Terrence Jones’ 52 points in 2011, Ryan Harrow and Jon Hood combining for 37 in 2012, Derek Willis’ 21 and 8 in 2013, Skal Labissiere and Charles Matthews combining for 35 in 2015 and Mychal Mulder going for 18 in 2016? Or Daimion Collins and Bryce Hopkins combining for 40 points and 16 rebounds in 2021? CJ Fredrick and Ugonna Onyenso combining for 32 in 2022? Adou Thiero and Jordan Burks combining for 46 in 2023?

On the flip side, we’ve also seen John Wall go for 25 and 11, Brandon Knight going for a then-record 37 points and Anthony Davis putting up 27 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Oscar Tshiebwe’s 25 points and 21 rebounds felt hilariously unsustainable in 2021, and then he went on to become the National Player of the Year doing it essentially every night. You just never know!

Last year had a little of both. Andrew Carr went for a game-high 25 points while Collin Chandler added 19 — though Amari Williams, Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler all hit the double-figure scoring mark, just as they did all season.

What’s in store for year two under Pope? KSR has the five things to watch for inside HMC and on SECN+.

Otega Oweh‘s first appearance as SEC Preseason Player of the Year

Oweh is back at practice with “no restrictions,” he confirmed at SEC Tipoff ’26 this week. His return included a poster slam, grabbing a steal and racing down the other end to throw one down on Kam Williams.

“As a coach, you just shake your head and be like, ‘Young people. We love these young people,'” Pope joked. “Otega’s a guy where you just cannot turn off his competitive motor.”

What’s in store for Oweh in the Blue-White Game? We haven’t seen him since Indianapolis in the Sweet 16, and since then, he’s added a target on his back as the SEC Preseason Player of the Year. Will he take it easy coming back from injury or will he look to make a statement as the new face of the league? Does he have another poster or two in him? Maybe he goes for the scoring record?

We know he’s capable of it.

Who steps up from the perimeter?

Ah, the question of the hour — and maybe the season. Pope gets giddy talking about this team’s shooters, maybe not in terms of top-end superstar snipers like Koby Brea a year ago, but depth. So many options with very few true non-shooters and a couple of guys capable of going off from deep on any given night.

The favorites are Trent Noah and Kam Williams, both projected to be the go-to threats all season long. Jasper Johnson and Collin Chandler can catch fire in a hurry while Andrija Jelavic nipped at Noah’s heels in the 3-point contest at Big Blue Madness with a pure jumper himself. Jaland Lowe, Otega Oweh, Denzel Aberdeen and Mo Dioubate are all capable among rotation pieces, too, while the bigs, Brandon Garrison, Malachi Moreno, and, eventually, Jayden Quaintance, aren’t afraid to fire away, either.

What will that look like tonight, especially as Pope holds firm on his goal of 30-plus 3-point attempts per game this year and topping last year’s school record for most made threes in a season? The post-Brea era may look a little different, but shots are still going to fall.

What can Andrija Jelavic give the team right away?

Speaking of that 3-point contest standout, this will be Kentucky fans’ first look at the Croatian Sensation 2.0 in a live game setting. It comes at the right time for Andrija Jelavic, too, considering he’s finally starting to “blossom” behind the scenes after a rough start to his time in Lexington.

“He’s put together a lot of great practices. He’s starting to finally feel in control a little bit more, just getting accustomed to everything,” Jaland Lowe said of the 6’11” forward. “He’s doing really good, he’s on the right track, and we’re excited to have him because he brings a lot of flavor that not a lot of players have.”

That European flavor is a combination of skill, shot-making and feel as a 21-year-old sophomore. Can he handle the SEC speed and physicality, though? Tonight will be his first test with fans in the stands and on SECN+ watching closely with curious eyes. He looked the part at BBM, but this next test will be tougher — as will the ones to follow.

Brandon Garrison vs. Malachi Moreno

This is a position battle I’m watching closely with strong buzz surrounding the true freshman’s readiness since his arrival. Malachi Moreno stands 7’0″, 250 pounds with a 7’1″ wingspan and a 9’4″ standing reach compared to Brandon Garrison at 6’10”, 245 pounds with a 7’3″ wingspan and 9’2″ standing reach. They’re both physically gifted, the former as a stronger, tougher interior presence and the latter as a mobile, versatile inside-out threat. Moreno has the higher floor while Garrison has the higher ceiling, at least this season in Lexington.

Who wins? How does Pope stagger those minutes now, but more importantly, when Jayden Quaintance is ready to make his Kentucky debut? Do you take the junior who plays younger with a year already in the system or the freshman who plays older?

They’ll certainly be going at it in the frontcourt as options 1A and 1B to start the season.

“It’s a fistfight every day, and they’re both getting better because of it. It’s pretty fun to watch,” Pope told KSR.

Who emerges as PG2?

We know Jaland Lowe is going to be the primary ball handler and lead guard this season, expectations high as a Preseason All-SEC pick. The Wildcats are going to lean on him to cut down on the turnovers and pick up the shooting efficiency with better talent around him, hopefully unlocking the best version of his game as a playmaker. But who is behind him?

That’s another situation to monitor, Denzel Aberdeen brought in to be the complementary guard threat and go-to guy when Lowe needs a breather, but others playing well enough this preseason to at least make it a conversation. The sneaky pick for PG2? None other than Jasper Johnson, whom Pope has been working in more and more opposite Lowe. Collin Chandler is another guy capable of helping out in a pinch, as is Otega Oweh, obviously. Don’t be surprised to see Mo Dioubate as an initiator out of the point forward position, either, with Brandon Garrison and Malachi Moreno doing some facilitating the way Amari Williams did last year, too.

There are plenty of options and Aberdeen is likely the best one at this stage, but watch Johnson’s trajectory and see if he forces Pope’s hand a bit. The early word is that things have clicked for him.