Zach Tow's emotional pregame speech led to his first field goal as a Kentucky Wildcat

A few weeks ago, Walker Horn hit his first shot as a Kentucky Wildcat, a three in the final minutes of the 104-54 win over Tennessee Tech. Fellow walk-on Zach Tow scored in that game too, a free throw, but tonight, he got his Rupp Arena moment, hitting a three with 32 seconds to go to put the bow on Kentucky’s 103-67 win over North Carolina Central. It was Tow’s first field goal in two seasons after earning a walk-on spot through tryouts in the summer of 2024.

The bucket was the feel-good moment of a much-needed feel-good game for Kentucky. The Cats came into tonight off their worst loss yet, a 35-point shellacking by Gonzaga in Nashville. Kentucky fans booed the team off the court at halftime of that one, and in the days since, the Cats have desperately tried to regroup. Tow, a Madisonville, Ky. native who grew up dreaming of playing for the Cats, did his part, giving an emotional pregame speech about what it means to play for Kentucky.

“That was the second great thing that Zach did tonight,” Mark Pope said of Tow’s three during his postgame conversation with Tom Leach. “He gave a speech to our team before the game, and he talked about how, for his brothers, if somebody asked him to run through a wall, he would do it. And he had tears in his eyes, because it’s in his heart, and he talked about what it means to wear this jersey, and we’re still trying to understand that this late in the early part of the season, but he’s an incredible example.

“And so, when you have a guy talk about that, believe that, cry that, share that with his team, it’s only appropriate that he’s gonna roll into the game and get a shot in the deep corner and bang it, because it’s how he’s built. He’s really special, man. I’m grateful for him, grateful we get to coach him. I’m grateful he’s on the team.”

It was Zach Tow's turn! https://t.co/KE7tV2zJ4g pic.twitter.com/7vETc8hWq0

— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) December 10, 2025

Otega Oweh also gave Tow a shoutout during his postgame interview on SEC Now.

“That was dope. Zach had his first field goal tonight. It was great. They show up every single day in practice and help us out a great amount, so the fact that he came out here and made a shot, that’s huge.”

Hopefully, Tow’s speech and three will bring this group closer together. Even if it doesn’t, he’s got a bright future ahead of him.

“We all know Zach’s story,” Pope said. “He just is this incredible kid who’s working so hard to get into law school here at the University of Kentucky. He’s taken the LSAT twice. He’s got a qualifying score. So if anybody has any in with the law school here at the University of Kentucky, Zach Tow, you want to have him in the next class. He’s just an incredible young man. He’s really special.”

Not only did Zach Tow hit a 3-pointer in Rupp Arena tonight, but he also delivered the pregame speech pic.twitter.com/qRkkkTXoBU

— UK Sports Network (@UKSportsNetwork) December 10, 2025