Big Blue Nation is getting closer and closer to finally seeing Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats take the floor, and with the season approaching, the debates surrounding this roster are becoming impossible to ignore.
Who starts?
Who finishes games?
Which players become stars?
And perhaps most importantly, which combination gives Kentucky its best chance to win?
Those questions are about to be answered on the court, but analytics have already offered a fascinating answer — and it is one that could leave plenty of Kentucky fans scratching their heads.
According to EvanMiya.com’s preseason analytics, the Wildcats’ best five-player lineup includes Zoom Diallo, Kam Williams, Milan Momcilovic, Ousmane N’Diaye and Malachi Moreno. That group is particularly interesting because one player many Kentucky fans expect to play a major role is nowhere to be found.
That player is Alex Wilkins.
And that is where this story gets really interesting.
Wilkins arrived in Lexington after an extraordinary freshman season at Furman, where he immediately established himself as one of the most productive young players in college basketball.
As a true freshman during the 2025-26 season, Wilkins started all 35 games he played and led Furman in scoring at 17.8 points per game. He also averaged 4.7 assists and two rebounds per game for the Paladins.
Those numbers are difficult to ignore.
A freshman putting up nearly 18 points and almost five assists per game is not ordinary production.
And Wilkins didn’t simply produce against weak competition.
He became one of the biggest reasons Furman reached the NCAA Tournament after winning the Southern Conference Tournament. He was outstanding throughout the tournament run and showed that he could take over games when his team needed him most.
Then came the moment that Kentucky fans may remember most.
Furman was matched up against UConn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
It was a massive opportunity for Wilkins to show that his production at Furman could translate against one of the best teams in the country.
He delivered.
Wilkins scored 21 points against the Huskies and knocked down four three-pointers. Furman ultimately fell to UConn, but Wilkins was one of the Paladins’ leading scorers and showed that he was capable of performing on a much bigger stage.
So when Kentucky fans see an analytics-based “best five” without Wilkins, it is understandable why some may be surprised.
How can a player who averaged 17.8 points and 4.7 assists as a freshman — and then scored 21 against UConn in the NCAA Tournament — fail to make the projected best combination?
The answer may be found in what analytics are actually measuring.
This is where the distinction becomes extremely important.
EvanMiya’s lineup is not necessarily a prediction of Kentucky’s starting five.
It is an analytical projection of which combination could perform best.
Those are two very different things.
The analytics are looking at statistical profiles and projected impact rather than simply choosing the five players with the biggest individual scoring numbers.
And that creates one of the most fascinating storylines surrounding Kentucky basketball this season.
Wilkins has something the numbers cannot simply erase: production.
He has already shown that he can carry an offense.
He has already shown that he can create shots.
He has already shown that he can score against high-level competition.
Now he has to prove that he can do those things at the SEC level.
That is the enormous question hanging over his first season in Lexington.
The good news for Kentucky is that the roster around him is loaded with pieces that could make his transition easier.
Zoom Diallo gives Pope another talented ball-handler and playmaker.
Milan Momcilovic gives Kentucky an elite shooting threat capable of stretching defenses.
Malachi Moreno gives the Wildcats a highly regarded interior presence.
And Kam Williams brings shooting and defensive versatility to the perimeter.
Those pieces help explain why the analytics-generated lineup is so intriguing.
It is not necessarily about selecting the five players with the biggest individual statistics.
It is about finding the combination that creates the strongest overall unit.
And that is where N’Diaye becomes particularly interesting.
The international forward gives Kentucky a different physical dimension and could allow Pope to construct a bigger lineup around Moreno and Momcilovic.
At the same time, Williams gives the Wildcats another perimeter weapon.
The result is a five-man group that looks different from what many Kentucky fans may have expected.
But perhaps that is exactly why this season could be so fascinating.
Kentucky has legitimate competition for minutes.
Players who were expected to have major roles may find themselves battling for starting positions.
Players who look like obvious starters on paper may become extremely valuable coming off the bench.
And players such as Wilkins have an opportunity to completely destroy preseason projections.
That last point may be the one Kentucky fans should remember.
Analytics are projections.
They are not destiny.
Wilkins does not have to accept an analytical ranking as his ceiling.
In fact, Kentucky fans have already seen evidence that he can outperform expectations.
His freshman season was filled with impressive performances, including huge scoring games during Furman’s conference tournament run. He showed the ability to create his own shot, knock down outside attempts and make plays for teammates.
Those performances are part of the reason there is so much excitement surrounding him in Lexington.
And there is another important piece to this puzzle.
Some preseason projections have already viewed Wilkins as a likely starter.
That is almost the exact opposite of the EvanMiya analytical lineup.
And that contrast tells you everything you need to know about Kentucky’s roster.
There is no universally accepted answer yet.
Pope has options.
Lots of them.
He can prioritize size.
He can prioritize shooting.
He can prioritize defensive versatility.
He can put more shot creation on the floor.
Or he can find a combination that blends all of those characteristics.
That is why the upcoming games will be so important.
Kentucky fans have spent months talking about what this roster could become.
Soon, they will finally get to see it.
Big Blue Madness will provide an early glimpse, followed by exhibition action in October before Kentucky officially opens the regular season on November 3. The analytics will eventually have to give way to what happens between the lines.
And that is where Wilkins has an opportunity to make his biggest statement.
Maybe the analytics are right.
Maybe the combination of Diallo, Williams, Momcilovic, N’Diaye and Moreno will prove to be Kentucky’s most effective five.
Or perhaps Wilkins will force everyone to rethink the entire conversation.
Because if the former Furman star brings the same confidence and scoring ability he displayed last season, the idea of leaving him out of Kentucky’s best five could quickly become one of the most talked-about preseason debates surrounding the Wildcats.
For now, the analytics have spoken.
They see a Kentucky lineup featuring Diallo, Williams, Momcilovic, N’Diaye and Moreno.
But Big Blue Nation sees something else.
It sees a young player who averaged 17.8 points and 4.7 assists as a freshman, dominated stretches of the Southern Conference Tournament and then walked into the NCAA Tournament against UConn and scored 21 points.
That is why Alex Wilkins being left out feels so significant.
The numbers may have their answer.
But Kentucky basketball has not played a single meaningful game yet.
And that means Wilkins still has the most exciting opportunity of all:
To prove the numbers wrong.
The wait is almost over.
And when Kentucky finally t
akes the court, Big Blue Nation will find out whether the analytics saw something everyone else missed — or whether Alex Wilkins is about to turn the entire conversation upside down.
