Kentucky Basketball Dominates Manhattan 85-57 in Season Opener

The No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team tipped off the 2026–27 regular season with an 85-57 victory over the Manhattan Jaspers on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky. UK Athletics, CatsPause, A Sea Of Blue, Field Level Media, and Bleacher Report confirmed the final score of the opening matchup.

Who led the scoring for Kentucky?

Senior forward Milan Momcilovic paced the Wildcats with 24 points in his regular-season debut following his transfer from Iowa State. ESPN reported via Bleacher Report that Momcilovic shot 8-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-9 from three-point range, across 28 minutes of play. Momcilovic entered the regular season already named to the Naismith Player of the Year watchlist, the NABC Player of the Year watchlist, and as a Coaches’ Preseason All-SEC selection alongside teammate Malachi Moreno, according to UK Athletics.

In addition to Momcilovic's offensive output, Heavy.com reported that Alex Wilkins broke a program record with his defensive performance on the floor. Head coach Mark Pope, who is in his third season leading the program after starting in 2024, outlined his offensive philosophy by telling reporters, "We'll never turn down an open shot."

What was the team's path to the opener?

Kentucky finished its 2026 preseason exhibition schedule with a 3-0 record, as documented by UK Athletics and A Sea Of Blue. The preseason run included the following results:

• October 16: Won 69-49 against Little Rock
• October 23: Won 76-65 against Texas Tech
• October 28: Won 90-76 in overtime against UCF

During the exhibition stretch, guard Zoom Diallo commented on the home atmosphere, stating that the Rupp Arena crowd "brought that joy out that I needed." NewsNow notes that the Kentucky program holds the all-time record for wins and winning percentage in Division I men's basketball, alongside eight NCAA national championships.

What are the upcoming games on the schedule?

The Wildcats face a busy November slate across home games and high-profile neutral-site matchups:

• Friday, November 6: vs. James Madison at Rupp Arena
• Tuesday, November 10: vs. Kansas at United Center in Chicago (State Farm Champions Classic)
• Friday, November 13: vs. Northern Arizona at Rupp Arena
• Monday, November 16: vs. Grambling State at Rupp Arena
• Friday, November 20: vs. Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
• Friday, November 27: vs. Wichita State at Rupp Arena
• Wednesday, December 2: at Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena (SEC/ACC Challenge)

Meanwhile, unconfirmed rumors surfaced via SportSpyder content aggregator snippets regarding an alleged injury to a finger on Momcilovic's shooting hand. However, this report has not been corroborated by official UK Athletics releases or primary beat reports.