Following a loss against the Iowa State Cyclones in the Round of 32, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have officially concluded their 2025–26 campaign. One of the most thrilling aspects of the college basketball offseason is about to begin as fans watch which players Coach Pope will remove from the transfer portal and which Wildcats will enter it.
There are a few players from the 2025–26 Kentucky basketball squad that Kentucky cannot see leaving, but the Wildcats will probably lose some players via the transfer portal. Let’s examine two guys who Kentucky must have back for the upcoming campaign.
Two players Kentucky can’t lose to the transfer portal
Collin Chandler
Collin Chandler made a very remarkable transition from year one to year two. Chandler averaged 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game this season. The top three-point shooter on this basketball team was the 6’5 guard, who made 41% from three. Chandler was outstanding throughout SEC play, but he failed in the postseason aside from the SEC Tournament showdown with Missouri. This season, the Wildcats won most of the occasions when Chandler performed well.Chandler needs to shoot the ball more aggressively for the Wildcats the following season, but if he improves from year two to year three, he might score 14–15 points per game for Pope’s squad. Although I don’t envisage a scenario in which Chandler enters the portal, the Wildcats would suffer a very difficult defeat if he did.
Kam Williams
Although some fans may be shocked to see Kam Williams on this list, his potential is enormous. This season, Williams was just beginning to find his rhythm when he suffered a broken foot. For the Wildcats this season, Williams averaged six points, 2.1 rebounds, and one assist per game. He made 35.9% of his three-pointers and 44.9% of his field goals. Williams shown signs of a player who may average 15 points per game the next season, even though these weren’t the scoring numbers some were hoping for from him.Williams’ 6’8″ stature and lengthy arms made him one of the team’s top defenders this season. Like Chandler, I don’t think Williams will use the portal, and if he stays in Lexington for the upcoming season, I think he will have a great year. Williams will become a collegiate basketball star once he has more self-assurance in his ability to shoot the ball and dominate games.
