![Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) shoots the game winning three point shot in the final seconds during the second half of the NCAA March Madness second round at Benchmark international Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday, March 20, 2026. Florida lost 73-72 [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_67,w_2729,h_1535/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/198/01kmhxn04b7sar4g090f.jpg "Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) shoots the game winning three point shot in the final seconds during the second half of the NCAA March Madness second round at Benchmark international Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday, March 20, 2026. Florida lost 73-72 [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
We all saw Kentucky basketball's season come to a crushing, humiliating end at the hands of an Iowa State team that was missing its best player in Joshua Jefferson.
It wasn't just a tournament loss. It was a 19-point meltdown on the biggest stage. At one point, Kentucky held a 12-point lead, only to watch the Cyclones completely take over and outscore them by 31 the rest of the way. Adding insult to injury, Iowa State players openly gloated afterward about how the Wildcats' body language looked like they just wanted the game to be over once the momentum flipped.
Oh, what could have been.
When you look around the rest of the NCAA Tournament, it is impossible to ignore the players Kentucky was in the mix for last cycle, but for one reason or another, failed to bring to Lexington.
Transfer Portal targets Kentucky should have stuck with
Alvaro Folgueiras
His name popped up almost immediately in the portal because his skill set perfectly fit the offensive system Mark Pope was known for building. But for whatever reason, Pope decided he needed to reinvent his philosophy and moved off Folgueiras.
The result? The big man just hit the clutch shot that sent Florida packing and pushed Iowa into the Sweet 16.
During his time at Robert Morris, Folgueiras averaged nearly 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in 29 minutes a night. While his playing time decreased by nine minutes at Iowa and his counting numbers dipped to 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, his winning impact is undeniable. His floor spacing, his elite passing as a frontcourt player, and his NCAA Tournament run are all still going strong. He should have been doing that in Lexington.
Donovan Dent
Dent was another major name heavily attached to Kentucky early in the portal season last year. But instead of coming to the SEC, he stayed out West to play for UCLA.
The dynamic point guard averaged 13 points and 7 assists this season. When Mark Pope recently admitted his team was "desperate" for creators, this is exactly the type of player he was talking about. Dent was the true shot-creator and floor general Kentucky so desperately lacked when the half-court offense bogged down and the season slipped away.
Andrej Stojakovic
The son of NBA great Peja Stojakovic, Andrej was a player tailor-made for Pope's system. He can make plays for himself and others, plays with immense smoothness, and possesses a high-level basketball IQ.
But instead of wearing blue and white, he is still playing in the NCAA Tournament for Illinois, preparing to take on Tennessee in the Sweet 16. His shot-making and offensive spacing would have made an astronomical difference on a Kentucky team that suffered through brutal, prolonged scoring droughts this season.
You can't strike out
John Calipari used to say you can miss shots, but you can't miss them all. Mark Pope desperately needs to apply that exact philosophy to his upcoming transfer portal strategy.
A head coach is never going to land every single target on his board, but he absolutely cannot afford to strike out across the board on the biggest needs.
Pope whiffed on this specific group of offensive difference-makers, and it ultimately cost the Big Blue Nation a March Madness run. With the portal opening on April 7th, he cannot make the same mistake twice.