Mark Pope is going to be able to play some massive lineups this season

Mark Pope finally, after a very interesting offseason, has his roster for the 2026-27 season, and the Wildcats have the talent to be really good this season. The last-minute addition of Milan Momcilovic is what put the Wildcats over the edge, so Pope’s team should really be able to compete at a high level this season.

When taking a look at the Wildcats roster, one thing that has Kentucky fans excited is just how big this team is from top to bottom. Most are projecting the starting lineup to include Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Milan Momcilovic, Ousmane N’Diaye, and Malachi Moreno.

Mar 12, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) shoots over Missouri Tigers center Shawn Phillips Jr. (15) during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Some argue that there is a world where Kam Williams could step in for either Diallo, Wilkins, or N’Diaye. These players are all quite tall for their positions, which will give Pope’s team a positional advantage when it comes to height. Wilkins is 6’5, Diallo is 6’4, Momcilovic is 6’8, N’Diaye is 6’11, and the man in the middle, Moreno, is 7’0.

The players coming off the bench for the Wildcats aren’t small either. Williams is 6’8, Braydon Hawthrone is closing in on 6’9-6’10, Franck Kepnang is 6’11, and Jerone Morton is 6’4. Having a lot of height is going to help this team in three very big ways. Those three things are defense, rebounding, and, lastly, the Wildcats will be able to shoot over defenders from other teams.

This roster should give the Wildcats one of the bigger teams in all of college basketball next season. Rebounding has been an issue for the Wildcats at times during the Pope era, so the hope is that having a really tall roster will help this issue. Rebounding has a lot more to it than just being tall, but height doesn’t hurt. If these players hunt rebounds this season for Coach Pope, they could be one of the better teams in the nation on the glass.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope calls a play during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Hopefully, this height will also help the Wildcats be tough to shoot over. Last season, opponents shot the three-ball well against Pope’s team, so the hope is that this extra height will help close out contests and even block shots.

Height does not make a team, but it does help a ton in many different aspects of the game, so hopefully Pope will be able to use this to his advantage this season. Pope did a good job putting this roster together to help patch last year’s holes.

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