Kentucky is facing extreme pressure to rebound from its disappointing 2025-26 campaign, and rightfully so.
Although the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball reached the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection and earned the No. 7 seed in the Midwest Region, the Wildcats’ season ultimately fell far short of expectations.
With a roster reportedly valued at around $22 million through NIL resources, Kentucky entered the season with enormous pressure to contend for both the SEC title and a deep NCAA Tournament run. Instead, the Wildcats stumbled to a disappointing 22-14 overall record and managed to win just one game in March Madness before being eliminated.
In today’s college basketball landscape, where NIL spending has dramatically reshaped roster construction, programs investing at Kentucky’s level are expected to produce immediate championship-level results. Fair or not, anything short of competing for a Final Four appearance is often viewed as underachieving for a blue-blood program with elite financial backing and national recruiting power.
The inconsistency plagued Kentucky throughout the season. Despite flashes of elite talent and offensive firepower, the Wildcats struggled to develop sustained chemistry, defensive toughness, and late-game execution against top competition. Costly losses during conference play and an inability to build momentum entering the postseason only intensified scrutiny surrounding the program.
That disappointment is a major reason why the coaching staff has remained aggressive in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail this offseason. Kentucky continues searching for experienced talent, frontcourt depth, and players capable of making an immediate impact as the program looks to avoid another season that falls below the standard expected in Lexington.
Mark Pope’s crew is looking to reload for the 2026-27 season, already adding several transfers to their roster after losing a good portion of their core. According to KSR’s Jacob Polacheck, the Wildcats are attempting to bolster their roster further in late May, as they currently have their sights set on a 19-year-old overseas pro who’s eager to return to college basketball.
“Kentucky is looking at a former SEC guard who is now playing in the international ranks,” Polacheck reported Tuesday. “Former Georgia and current Mega Superbet guard Savo Drezgić tells KSR that Kentucky is a school involved in his recruitment.”
“My agent is in contact with Kentucky,” Drezgic told KSR.
“The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 15.4 points and four assists per game with Mega Superbet in the ABA League during the 2025-26 season. He previously played for Georgia. His agent, Misko Raznatovic, posted on May 14 that Drezgić’s ‘decision regarding which university team he will continue his career with will be made in the coming days.”
During his lone season with Georgia in 2024-25, Drezgic averaged 2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game in eight contests, shooting 33.3% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc.
While the Belgrade, Serbia, native had the option to continue his college career with the Bulldogs after his freshman campaign, he opted to turn pro after one year. Considering Drezgic has proven he can succeed at the professional level, he should be more impactful during his second go-round at the collegiate ranks.
Whether or not he’ll do so with the Wildcats remains to be seen.
