We are heading into a pivotal season of Kentucky basketball as Mark Pope really needs his team to win a lot of games and go on a deep NCAA Tournament run. Historically for Pope’s teams, the offense is elite while the defense struggles. That was not the case last season, as the defense rated better on KenPom for Kentucky than the offense did.
Losing starting point guard Jaland Lowe for the entire season played a large role in the offensive struggles, but only two Wildcats averaged in double figures last season. Otega Oweh averaged 18.6 points per game, and Denzel Aberdeen averaged 13.5. Collin Chandler was right on the edge of averaging double figures, scoring 9.7 points per game, but for Pope last year, only two players were able to get it done.
Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) speaks during the postgame press conference after the game against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In year one of the Pope era, six players averaged in double figures, and this is why that team was one of the best offenses in college basketball. This goes to show that Pope needs to have a lot of elite offensive weapons for his team to be good, and the hope is that he has enough players who can score this season.
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My projected starting five for the Wildcats includes Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Milan Momcilovic, Ousmane N’Diaye, and Malachi Moreno. Of these five players, I think that Diallo, Wilkins, Momcilovic, and Moreno will without question average in double figures. N’Diaye is the wildcard for this team, so we really have no idea what kind of numbers he will put up. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did average double figures, but I am not willing to call it a guarantee.
Feb 28, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) celebrates from the bench during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Off the bench, I could see Kam Williams averaging double figures, and there is an outside chance that Justin McBride is able to get it done. Braydon Hawthorne is another wildcard that, if his upside hits, could get it done, but that would be very surprising to me. I do believe the Wildcats will have five players average in double figures this season, but I don’t see that number getting up to six like in Pope’s first season at Kentucky.
If Pope and the Wildcats are able to have five guys average in double figures, I would make the leap to say that this offense will once again be elite. The only way I see this team struggling on offense is if there are some injuries.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as How many players will average double figures this season for Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats?.
