Kentucky basketball alums sound off on social media after another win on Rocky Top
Saturday was a big day for Mark Pope‘s basketball program. Despite falling in another big hole, Kentucky came storming back to defeat Tennessee on the road for the fourth consecutive season. Another dramatic win on Rocky Top in the world famous Food City Center was a cause for celebration for Big Blue Nation.
Many in the fan base fired off some tweets over the weekend. Jokes were made and victory laps were taken. Some former Kentucky players even decided to have some fun. The Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, and John Calipari eras were all represented.
This is what some UK alums had to say about the huge win.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist credits Mark Pope
Everyone knows how bad the start was for this Kentucky team in 2025-26. No one needs to be reminded of that here. A low point occurred in the Champions Classic when Mark Pope looked absolutely defeated after a blowout loss to Michigan State. An embarrassing performance against Gonzaga shortly followed. However, the second year head coach has kept his team in the fight. That has led to some comeback victories.
Fan favorite Michael Kidd-Gilchrist provided multiple thoughts on the win and the program on his X account over the weekend. The former first-round pick credits Pope for giving this team the lift required to bounce-back and win a big game.
5 recognizes: Wayne Turner loved the big steal from Collin Chandler
Perhaps the play that won Kentucky the game was on defense with under a minute left. As Tennessee point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie looked to get the ball to Nate Ament. Kentucky guard Collin Chandler worked through some traffic, got his eyes up, and jumped in the passing lane for a big steal. That takeaway led immediate to an and-one lay-up for Otega Oweh that gave UK its first lead of the game with 34 seconds to play.
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Another former Kentucky guard who was a steal artist during his time in Lexington loved the play from Chandler.
The sophomore who was originally signed with BYU to play for Pope in Provo arguably had the best game of his Kentucky career on Saturday when he poured in four three-point field goals and made the defensive play of the game.
Perry Stevenson has a flashback
The lack of ball security late ultimately led to Kentucky stealing a win in Knoxville, but Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie did have a big scoring game for Tennessee on Saturday. The lead guard finished the game with 24 points on 12 field goal attempt with four three-point field goals and eight makes at the free throw line. ESPN announcers Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas were saying Gillespie’s name a ton. That led to former Kentucky forward Perry Stevenson to have some flashbacks.
Shortly after that joke, Stevenson also shared a message with the rest of Big Blue Nation in support of this team. Saturday was a big moment for Kentucky basketball. Numerous former players had something to say about the victory. This could be a building block for the rest of the season as Pope’s team attempts to find an identity and put a strong conference season together.
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