A couple weeks ago, Kentucky was sitting at 5-4 and everybody was doing that familiar thing where we pretend the sky is falling while still refreshing the box score.
Now it’s 9-4, and even if that doesn’t sound like perfection, it sounds a lot better than the alternate universe where this thing got wobbly and stayed wobbly.
The point isn’t that Kentucky suddenly became flawless.
The point is that the last four games finally showed what Kentucky can lean on when the season turns into a street fight.
Kentucky basketball found its oxygen with Kam Williams
Nothing flips a team faster than a shooter catching fire.
Over the last two weeks, Kam Williams has averaged 15.33 points in about 22 minutes a night, and his efficiency numbers look like a typo: 88.1 eFG% and 90.6 TS% in that stretch. That is just ridiculous.
That changes possessions. It changes scouting reports. It changes what kind of shots Kentucky gets without even trying.
When Williams is a threat, defenses stop cheating. When defenses stop cheating, Kentucky’s drivers stop seeing bodies.
It’s the simplest chain reaction in basketball, and Kentucky finally got to feel it. Now he is not going to shoot 80 percent every game, but 40-45 percent over the course of the season is doable and in fact it is needed.
Mouhamed Dioubate has been the grown-up in the room
If you’re trying to identify the “stabilizer” during this run, it’s been Mouhamed Dioubate.
Over the last two weeks: 13.33 points, 7.33 rebounds, plus the kind of activity that doesn’t show up cleanly in one stat. He’s also been a problem defensively, averaging 2.33 steals and 1.67 blocks.
There are players who make your highlights look prettier. Dioubate makes your possessions feel sturdier, and your team play better.
When Kentucky gets choppy, he’s a reset button.
Otega Oweh has influenced games without shooting well
Here’s the funny part: Oweh’s last two-week shooting efficiency hasn’t been pretty (32.8 eFG%). And yet, he’s still been massively important.
He’s averaged 13.33 points, 5.67 rebounds, 4.00 assists, and 2.33 steals in that window, while taking on the kind of defensive responsibility that doesn’t come with compliments.
That’s real basketball value. Not the “my shot is falling so I’m happy” kind.
The “I can impact the game even when it’s not fun” kind. For a guy who admitted that he wasn't as focused as he needs to be, those numbers show a massive turnaround.
Kentucky basketball’s identity is simple
This group wins when it plays with edge and purpose.
Not when it’s perfect.
When it competes, shares, defends like it cares, and makes the other team feel every cut and every catch. The offense has enough talent to score with anyone. The swing factor is whether Kentucky shows up connected on defense and tough on the glass.
Four straight wins didn’t solve the season.
But it did reveal the blueprint to make it a good year:
- Play hard
- Play together
- Play for each other
- Fight