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The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team may make the NCAA Tournament, but Dick Vitale thinks this iconic program should be much better than their 19-12 record this season considering their $22 million roster.
ESPN’s college basketball analyst didn’t hold back his feelings about the Wildcats as they took on Florida during Saturday’s SEC matchup. After the Gators hit a free throw to extend their first-half lead to 26-19, Vitale began laying on the Wildcats.
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Head coach Mark Pope of the Kentucky Wildcats during the game between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats on March 7, 2026, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. (Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire)
“I’ll say this here, I’ve done several Kentucky games, win or lose, this is a $22 million team. [which has been reported] in terms of NIL for their players,” he said, per Awful Announcing. “I think for $22 million, they could have put together a better roster than they did. I really do.”
The Wildcats ended up losing by a score of 84-77, and Vitale went on about Kentucky nearing their 12th loss of the season.
“I’ll tell you one thing, you don’t want to come out here thinking you got a morale victory,” Vitale said, referring to a hard-fought game against No. 5 ranked Florida. “Behavioral victories don’t count at this level of basketball. And you hear other people, ‘We played them close. We played hard.’
“The bottom line is you’re Kentucky. You’re from Kentucky. And you’ve got to leave here winning, especially at home. There’s no moral victory. Come on. I don’t want to hear that.”
Collin Chandler and Jasper Johnson of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate during the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels at Rupp Arena on Jan. 24, 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
The Wildcats were once the top-ranked program in the country under former coach John Calipari, who left Arkansas after failing to make a long March Madness run in recent seasons, including a shocking first-round upset of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats have been coached by Mark Pope since then, and advanced to the Sweet 16 in last year’s tournament before losing to Tennessee.
Kentucky’s Jasper Johnson in action vs Michigan State at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Nov. 18, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated)
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But this year, Kentucky is 10-8 in SEC play, and now faces the 9th seed in this week’s tournament. The winner of each conference earns a berth in the tournament, but the Wildcats know that a good seed in the NCAA Tournament requires a strong run heading into Selection Sunday this coming weekend.
The Wildcats will begin their SEC Tournament play on Wednesday against No. 16 LSU.
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