Kentucky practices have been 'more physical and competitive' than last season

At times, last season’s Kentucky men’s basketball team lacked the physicality and toughness it needed to reach the ultimate goal. An endless string of injuries played a real role in that, but the roster itself was more built on shooting and skill as opposed to one that could tap into a mean streak at any point and outright bully opponents into losses.

Mark Pope made a concerted effort to merge those two identities in the offseason with how he attacked the transfer portal and high school ranks. And while we’ll still need to wait and see how that added physicality plays out on the hardwood in games that count, if practices this offseason have been any indication, we won’t be waiting long before it shows up.

“Practice is always competitive, no matter (after a) win or loss,” Freshman guard Jasper Johnson said Monday. “Everybody is always even-keel, but we all know the assignment.”

Practice was just as ultra-competitive following the exhibition win over top-ranked Purdue as it was following the exhibition loss to unranked Georgetown. Having more capable bodies has helped make that happen. Even as Jaland Lowe and Denzel Aberdeen deal with minor injuries (plus Jayden Quaintance‘s ACL recovery), Kentucky can still run high-level 5-on-5 scrimmages in practice. That wasn’t always the case in 2024-25, but it has been so far this season, and it’s helping bring out the best in their competitive natures.

“I’ll say it’s more physical and competitive for sure,” Junior center Brandon Garrison said when comparing practice this season to last. “Just because we have more guys, so we’ve been scrimmaging a lot against each other. I feel like every time we scrimmage or go against blue-white, it’s competitive, it’s trash-talking. It’s just great vibes out there.”

This isn’t exactly breaking news for those who followed the team closely throughout the offseason. Pope has praised his team’s desire to make everything into a competition. They use any excuse to turn something into a win-lose situation. Sometimes that means guys get too into the competition. Teammates have needed to be separated when things get a bit out of control.

“(That’s happened) a couple times, you know, but it’s all out of love,” Garrison said with a grin. “Like I said, we’re very competitive, so it happens, and I feel like that’s a part of basketball, and it’s what makes it fun, honestly.”

Competition helps breed excellence. Garrison admitted he’s never been part of a team this competitive before. Will it result in a path to winning championship number nine? Kentucky’s first real test begins Tuesday night against Nicholls in Rupp Arena (7:00 p.m. ET | SEC Network+).

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