Kentucky will have one of the most underrated backcourt duos in college basketball

Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins will be elite at Kentucky.

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Huskies guard Zoom Diallo (5) brings the ball up court against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Mark Pope missing on some of his top targets in the transfer portal has overshadowed some of the elite additions he has made to this roster. Once the roster is finally put together and Coach Pope has his team for the 2026-27 season, Big Blue Nation will start to get excited, and there is one thing they should be excited about right now.

What should have Kentucky fans excited is the backcourt duo that Coach Pope has put together. He landed Washington transfer Zoom Diallo and Furman transfer Alex Wilkins. There are some concerns with these two players, and this is why they aren’t being talked about all that much, but I believe they could become an elite one-two punch.

Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Huskies guard Zoom Diallo (5) brings the ball up court against the Wisconsin Badgers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The concern with Diallo is his three-point shooting. His ability to score around the rim and distribute the basketball is undeniable, but he isn’t an elite three-point shooter. Last season at Washington, he shot 31.5% from three on 2.2 attempts per game.

The concern for Wilkins is the fact that he will be making the jump from Furman to the SEC. His game looks incredible, but this jump isn’t always easy. It does help that when he took on UConn in the NCAA Tournament, he scored 21 points, but we will see if he can do it game after game in the SEC.

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Furman Paladins guard Alex Wilkins (10) dribbles the ball against the UConn Huskies in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The concern for the duo is how they will play on the floor together, knowing they both naturally play the one, and more than likely, Wilkins will play the two this season. Despite all of these concerns, I believe that this duo is going to work really well together. Wilkins has the upside to be one of the best guards in the SEC, and Diallo has proven that he can play at a very high level in the Big Ten.

Both of these guards are about 6’4, so they have the size to be able to compete in the SEC at a high level. The national media have not been all that high on this duo, and that will not change before the season starts, but I do believe that the tandem of Diallo and Wilkins could end up being one of the more underrated backcourts in the nation.

If these two end up having a good season for Pope and the Wildcats, it will be a big boost for this team to exceed expectations.

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