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Mark Pope shared a very exciting stat regarding Kentucky guard Alex Wilkins

Alex Wilkins is going to become a superstar this season in Lexington.
Mar 19, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope speaks during an interview at the practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images
Mar 19, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope speaks during an interview at the practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Kentucky fans can’t wait to see their new two-guard, Alex Wilkins, suit up for the first time in the blue and white. Last season at Furman, Wilkins was a true freshman who put up some video-game-like numbers for the Paladins. Wilkins averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 assists, and two rebounds per game. He shot a very impressive 46% from the field, so he was very efficient. The two concerns with Wilkins' freshman season were his three-point shooting percentage, which was 32.8%, and his turnovers per game, which were 3.8.

These are two numbers that fans want to see Wilkins improve this season but knowing he will be playing off the ball this year, I believe he will improve those numbers. Obviously, the turnovers number should take a big swing in the right direction just because he won’t be handling the ball as much.

Alex Wilkins
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 | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The three-point shooting is going to improve because he will have more catch-and-shoot opportunities that he didn’t have when he was at Furman. The looks from deep are going to get a lot better this season for Wilkins playing the two in the Pope system. He might not have ever seen the type of open looks that he is going to get this season.

Coach Pope went on The Field Of 68, and one of the questions he was asked was how Wilkins has developed so far during his time in Lexington. Coach Pope answered this question providing a very exciting stat. Here is the stat Coach Pope shared about Kentucky’s two-guard Wilkins: “Alex is getting tougher every day. He’s getting more disciplined every day. He is a wild talent. He shot over 50% on insanely difficult threes in live play for us over the course of the entire summer.”

As previously mentioned, we want Wilkins taking better shots this season, but it is good to hear that he is making tough shots if he can make tough shots at a better clip this season than think just how easy it will be for him to shoot the open looks.

Wilkins has shown flashes, and BBN is convinced that he is going to be a superstar. Improving the three-point shooting is an easy way for Wilkins to get to the superstar level. Wilkins will become one of the best guards in all of college basketball this season for Pope and the Wildcats.

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Andrew Stefaniak
ANDREW STEFANIAK

Andrew Stefaniak is the publisher of Kentucky Wildcats On SI and host of the Wildcats Today Podcast.

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