Kentucky Wildcats Face Santa Clara in NCAA Tournament

0:00On March 19, Kentucky Wildcats basketball wrapped up their regular season with a 19 wins 12 losses record overall, going 10 and 8 in. South Eastern Conference play to grab the number 9 seed in the conference tournament. They made it to the quarterfinals before falling to top-seated Florida 71-63. Now the team shifts, focused to the 2026 NCAA tournament as the number 7 seed in the Midwest region. They'll face the number 10 Santa Clara Broncos in the first round on Friday at 12.15pm in St. Louis, Missouri. Star Guard Otega Owe, averaging 18.2 points per game, gives them a strong shot to advance. A tough recruiting blow hit just before March Madness, though. Five-star power forward, Christian Collins, a six-foot-eight standout from California, narrowed his choices to Kentucky, USC, and Louisville earlier. This week, Collins quickly committed to the Trojans on Wednesday, passing on the Wildcats and Cardinals.

1:00He's ranked as the ninth-best prospect in the class of 2026, the number 2 power forward nationally, and the top player from his home. State, Kentucky coach Mark Pope will need to regroup fast as his squad tips off against Santa Clara, hoping to build momentum without that key addition.