Lexington is still building NBA prospects.

The Kentucky Wildcats have been on fire to start their first season under former BYU head coach Mark Pope. With wins over Duke and Gonzaga, both top-25 teams, this Cats roster has erupted behind a slew of veteran transfer players.

However, as is with many veterans in college hoops, getting to that next level is earlier said than done. Kentucky lost several key recruits when John Calipari left to join Arkansas, and Pope inherited a team void of returning talent to add to that mix. He built from the ground up.

He immediately made the most of what he had, though, bringing in players from across the country. With the Cats budding, many of those have started to gain far more national attention.

That said, ESPN has updated its top 100 NBA Draft prospects. The Cats have four, which are below.

Each of those players has a special talent that should help them at the next level.

Brea is one of the best 3-point shooters across the collegiate landscape, while Oweh and Garrison should be able to take their ultra-aggressive defending to the next level, though the hope is they’ll stay for one more season.

As for Robinson, he is the team’s best all-around scoring option, so he likely has the most potential to be a star at the next level. Having to play point guard now with Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa injured could also be a major stock boost if Robinson does it efficiently.

With Kentucky getting more recruiting traction and many of these veterans rising on the draft board, expect the Cats to have several draft picks in the coming NBA Drafts and well into the future, too.

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UK Men’s Basketball

What did Brandon Garrison say to get a technical foul against Gonzaga? By John Clay December 10, 2024 at 4:19 PM Kentucky basketball center Brandon Garrison talks to the media on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, as the Wildcats prepare to play Colgate on Wednesday at Rupp Arena. Garrison was asked about the technical foul he received in UK’s win over Gonzaga.

Was 5-star Caleb Wilson waiting for AJ Dybantsa before committing? What it means for Kentucky basketball.

The number one overall basketball recruit in the 2025 class, AJ Dybantsa, is off the board. He has committed to BYU, and his NIL deal is rumored to be around $7 million. This is an insane amount of money, but money that BYU was willing to spend. Dybansta had eliminated Kentucky from his list weeks ago, but the Wildcats are still in for two other top-10 players: Nate Ament and Caleb Wilson. The signs are good for Wilson, but there is not a ton of confidence for Ament and Kentucky, but it’s still on the table.

Market Rates

There is some speculation that Wilson has been waiting to sign his own deal for after the commitment of Dybantsa. In many ways, he would set the market rate, which would give other top recruits opportunities to know how much to ask for themselves. While Dybantsa is listed as a generational talent, and other players know this, there is now still a top-of-the-market rate.

North Carolina and Kentucky

While Wilson is officially down to five schools: Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State, Tennessee, and UCF, it was reported that he would soon narrow his list to two. Most in the know think those two schools will be North Carolina and Kentucky.

Kentucky has a crystal ball placed for Wilson, but North Carolina is not out of the hunt. With Wilson presumably waiting to cut his list to two, you have to wonder if North Carolina may have some steam with Dybantsa off to BYU. The Tar Heels made a strong push for him in the end but came up short. Do they now turn their resources and attention to Wilson? Is this what Wilson was waiting for? Or is Kentucky still the heavy favorite?

Now that Dybantsa is off the board, you have to think that Wilson’s recruitment will come to a close shortly, too, and it seems to be down to North Carolina and Kentucky.