What is the plan for Kentucky at point guard with Rob Wright III off the board?

Mark Pope will be making a pivot at the point guard position.

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts against the Santa Clara Broncos during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats had to knock the point guard position out of the park in the transfer portal this cycle, but the staff just missed on their top target. It was looking like Rob Wright III from BYU was heading to be the Wildcats new PG1, but the visit didn’t go well, and today it was announced that Wright III will return back to BYU.

This means the coaching staff is going to make a pivot, and the player that the staff will take another look at now is Washington’s Zoom Diallo. The 6’4 point guard was on campus last weekend for a visit, where he went to Keeneland with Coach Pope and the staff. It sounds like the visit didn’t go too badly, but Diallo didn’t want to be a second option, knowing the staff still was looking at Wright III.

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Huskies guard Zoom Diallo (5) celebrates his team’s win against the Southern California Trojans at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Now that Wright III is no longer an option for the Wildcats, Pope will likely make a really hard push after Diallo to try to secure the former Washington point guard. Last season for Washington, Diallo averaged 15.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 48.9% from the field and 31.5% from three. I think the three-point shooting is the big reason why Big Blue Nation is so disappointed to have missed on Wright III.

The hope is that Kentucky will be able to lock down Diallo within the next day, and then Pope can start to build the rest of the roster. Another option at point guard is Jalen Cox, who will soon be in town for a visit. The former Colgate guard averaged 17.9 points, 5.3 assists, 52 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 52.1% from the field and 36.5% from three.

Dec 21, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Colgate Raiders guard Jalen Cox (3) drives to the basket while Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) defends during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The 6’3 guard, on top of being a high-level scorer, is also a really good defender, which is good to have at the point guard spot. Cox could be a perfect player to back up Diallo at the one. It would be a solid one-two punch between Diallo and Cox, but fans will still be frustrated that the staff missed on Wright III.

I expect Pope to have his next point guard within the next 48 hours, perhaps even within the next 24 hours. This staff needs to land a commitment before Big Blue Nation fully freaks out, and both of these players could be solid options. Coach Pope really needs Diallo to pick Kentucky and soon.