KSR Today: Highlights from Kentucky at SEC Tip-Off '26

Folks, it’s almost time to watch some roundball on the hardwood. The basketball version of media days is the SEC Tip-Off, and KSR had a front row seat when Kentucky took center stage in Birmingham.

By now, we’ve already seen the team a couple of times and heard from them at media day. That means we should not have expected an Earth-shattering revelation from the event. We still got some great news.

KSBoard members learned on Monday that Otega Oweh has been cleared to return to practice. No. 00 confirmed Jack Pilgrim’s scoop at SEC Tipoff ’26.

“I’m feeling good, no restrictions,” Oweh said. “That’s a blessing. I’m just grateful that it was just this type of injury and nothing more. But I’m getting back into the flow of it. I’m in every drill, every competition rep, so I’m happy.”

After hearing that news, I can confirm that all of BBN is happy too. Here’s what else we saw and heard from Tuesday in Birmingham.

No. 9 is Everywhere

Mark Pope has made it abundantly clear that he is chasing a ninth National Championship. A No. 9 banner, “The Assignment,” hangs over the practice courts. The Kentucky head coach didn’t think it was a coincidence that is where the Wildcats appeared in the preseason AP Poll.

“I was elated that we came in at No. 9. We see 9 everywhere we go. We think 9 is in our future destiny. We’re chasing it hard. I was really thrilled with that,” said Pope.

“Everyone’s hungry and eager to get No. 9,” added Oweh. “That’s what we owe BBN.”

“The lineage is winning championships.”

Live Updates: https://t.co/NH5ITL8xmT

pic.twitter.com/BcBlRLjSOb

— KSR (@KSRonX) October 14, 2025

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Kentucky WBB in the Preseason Top 25

Speaking of Top 25s, Kenny Brooks’ squad just made the cut ahead of the 2025-26 season. The Wildcats are tied with Richmond as the last team in at No. 24 overall. Kenny Brooks has plans to exceed expectations in year two.

“We were picked eighth last year. We came in fourth, and we were competing the last couple weeks for a top spot in the SEC tournament.”

Brooks added, “I’m excited for this year. I think we have a great group. Probably the tallest team I’ve been able to coach. We’re going to try to use that to our strength, to our advantage. I think we have the pieces and the tools to go out here and compete with everybody as long as we build our chemistry. That makes me very, very, very excited.”

More from SEC Tip-Off

At the football version of SEC Media Days, each coach gets 30 minutes to speak and answer questions. In basketball, that four-day event shrinks to two, for twice as many teams, giving each team only 30 minutes total. Nevertheless, we got plenty to discuss over the next 48 hours. Here’s what’s loaded up so far…

Mark Pope’s Presser at SEC Tip-Off
The Most Important Thing We Learned from Every Coach
Kenny Brooks at the Podium
Jaland Lowe, Otega Oweh, and Denzel Aberdeen Answer Questions
Chris Beard demands exceptional play from Travis Perry
Andrija Jelavic has “blossomed” over last couple of weeks
Calipari did the John Wall dance at SEC Tip-Off

Who We’ll Hear from Today at SEC Tip-Off ’26

Jack and Zack probably won’t stick around for the entire marathon, but there are still a few intriguing characters taking the stage today, starting with Steven Pearl.

10:05-10:30 a.m.    Auburn MBB
10:35-11:00 a.m.     Mississippi St. MBB
11:05-11:30 a.m.     Auburn WBB
11:35-Noon      Mississippi St. WBB
12:20-12:45 a.m.     Florida WBB
12:50-1:15 p.m.     Tennessee WBB
1:20-1:45 p.m.     Florida MBB
1:50-2:15 p.m.       Tennessee MBB
2:35-3:00 p.m.        LSU MBB
3:05-3:30 p.m.        Texas A&M MBB
3:35-4:00 p.m.        LSU WBB
4:05-4:30 p.m.        Texas A&M WBB
4:50-5:15 p.m.        Missouri WBB
5:20-5:45 p.m.        Oklahoma WBB
5:50-6:15 p.m.        Missouri MBB
6:20-6:45 p.m.        Oklahoma MBB

Coach McClean wants the Smoke

Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics taught me that anything is possible. That includes a victory in old man basketball between a bunch of washed sportswriters and former high-level athletes who are still in great shape. If there’s a will, there’s a way. Bring it.

Coaches vs KSR would feed FAMILIES 🏀🍿🤣 https://t.co/1VtxEdnvRY

— Mikhail McLean 🇧🇸 (@Coach_McLean) October 14, 2025

Mitch Barnhart Weighs In On Kentucky Football Struggles

Meanwhile back in Lexington, things aren’t going so well for the program on the other side of campus. As the football team struggles to get off the mat, fans are looking for answers. Following a Champions Blue Board Meeting, Mitch Barnhart fielded questions about the state of the Kentucky football program.

In the Q&A with the Herald-Leader, Barnhart commended Stoops’ ability to turn the program around and acknowledged that they struggled to adapt to the changes in the college sports landscape. It wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence, but the Kentucky athletic director is supporting his coach in the hopes that Kentucky can get this train back on the tracks in the back half of the season.

“I’m thankful that he’s done a lot for us, and I want to make sure that we fight with him and give him the best chance we can to go forward,” Barnhart said.

Got thoughts? Continue the conversation on KSBoard, the KSR Message Board.

Kentucky Football Staying United

Following Tuesday’s practice at the Joe Craft Football Training Center, it didn’t feel like the team was down in the dumps. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The offense feels much better after Cutter Boley got a few SEC road starts under his belt, and the Kentucky quarterback has everyone believing they can turn this season around.

“I feel like everyone still believes, and everybody is coming to work every single day,” said the Kentucky quarterback.

“We know what team we can be. We’re the only ones in here in the locker room every day, and we see what we can do. Every single one of these dudes believes we can win every game we play. We just gotta put it all together. We’re starting to put all of those pieces together, for sure.”

More Kentucky Football Talk

We’ll hear more from the Wildcats today. Mark Stoops speaks on the SEC Coaches Teleconference around lunchtime. Adam Luckett will be hanging out with Brad White and the Kentucky defense after practice, before we hop on for a new edition of 11 Personnel. It’s been a weird week, and we’re going to dive into all of the madness. Don’t miss it LIVE at 8:15 PM ET, right after the SEC Availability Report goes live.

Matt Jones Trivia Night at KSBar and Grille

We’re celebrating Wings Day with a night of competition at KSBar and Grille. Enjoy $1 wings as Matt Jones tests your knowledge with a night full of challenging trivia. The action begins at 7 PM ET on South Broadway.

How will Brent Venables ever recover from this?

Diabolical. What a sport.

Coach Venables lost eight Conference games in his two seasons in the Big 12 https://t.co/O4eLzaJ3lo

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 14, 2025

Kentucky Soccer Falls to Indiana

The Wildcats came up short in a Top 25 match at The Bell. Joaquin Brizuela got the Kentucky men’s soccer team on the board first with a strike in the 36th minute. Unfortunately, they were unable to hold on. No. 14 Indiana scored twice in the second half to drop No. 25 Kentucky to 6-2-3.

Kentucky Volleyball Returns Home

After a successful two-game road trip, including a Top 10 victory over Texas A&M, the Wildcats are still undefeated in SEC play. They’ve only dropped one set through five games, tied for the fewest in school history. That will be put to the test when the third-ranked Wildcats return home to take on Auburn for a 7 PM ET match at Historic Memorial Coliseum.