Kentucky’s Mark Pope disappointed with performance vs Louisville
Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope’s team rallied in the second half, but the Wildcats were disappointed they couldn’t finish the comeback.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky basketball returns to the court tonight.
But for the first time in the 2025-26 season, the Wildcats are entering off a loss. After victories over over Nicholls and Valparaiso, UK couldn’t slow down Louisville on Tuesday, losing 96-88 at the KFC Yum! Center.
Tonight’s opponent, on paper, appears to be the perfect opponent for a one-sided, bounce back win.
Eastern Illinois is 1-2 this season, beating Nicholls but losing to Notre Dame and Valparaiso. Outside expectations for the Panthers are low: They were picked to finish 10th (of 11 teams) in the Ohio Valley Conference’s preseason poll in 2025-26. EIU is No. 313 in the KenPom.com rankings entering tonight’s matchup; there are 365 Division I teams tracked by KenPom.
Stream Kentucky basketball’s game vs. Eastern Illinois on SEC Network+
Kentucky had been No. 1 in those rankings prior to Tuesday’s setback; coach Mark Pope’s club now is No. 6. UK also is ranked in both major polls: It is eighth in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll and ninth in the AP Top 25.
Courier Journal sports reporter Ryan Black is at Rupp Arena and will have live updates throughout the game — here and on X, formerly known as Twitter — and complete coverage after. You can follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
Follow along with live updates from today’s game between the Wildcats and Panthers at Rupp Arena below:
It’s all Kentucky so far.
With 7:52 remaining in the first half, Kentucky leads Eastern Illinois, 32-15. The Wildcats are on a 13-2 run in the last 4:52.
UK is 13 of 21 (61.9%) from the field; Eastern Illinois has missed 15 of its 21 attempts (28.6%) The Wildcats are shooting 40% (4 for 10) behind the 3-point line, while the Panthers are just 3 of 10 (30%).
Trent Noah, Mouhamed Dioubate and Brandon Garrison each have six points for UK.
UK point guard Jaland Lowe reportedly re-injured his shoulder during a recent practice.
Read more about Lowe’s injury here.
Here are Kentucky’s starters vs. Eastern Illinois:
And here’s Eastern Illinois’ lineup:
The game between the Wildcats and Panthers will not air on a traditional television channel.
Instead, it will be streamed live on SEC Network+, a complementary digital platform to the linear SEC Network run by ESPN.
Authenticated subscribers can access SEC Network+ via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.
You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.
- Oct. 17: Blue-White game (Click here to read takeaways from the intrasquad scrimmage.)
- Oct. 24: exhibition vs. Purdue (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Purdue 65
- Oct. 30: exhibition vs. Georgetown University (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Georgetown 84, Kentucky 70
- Nov. 4: Nicholls (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Nicholls 51
- Nov. 7: Valparaiso (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 107, Valparaiso 59
- Nov. 11: at Louisville (KFC Yum! Center) | SCORE: Louisville 96, Kentucky 88
- Nov. 14: Eastern Illinois (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
- Nov. 18: vs. Michigan State (Champions Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York), 6:30 p.m.
- Nov. 21: Loyola University Maryland (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
- Nov. 26: Tennessee Tech (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
- Dec. 2: North Carolina (Rupp Arena; ACC/SEC Challenge), 9:30 p.m.
- Dec. 5: vs. Gonzaga (Bridgestone Arena; Nashville), 7 p.m.
- Dec. 9: North Carolina Central (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
- Dec. 13: Indiana (Rupp Arena), 7:30 p.m.
- Dec. 20: vs. St. John’s (CBS Sports Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta), 12:30 p.m.
- Dec. 23: Bellarmine (Rupp Arena), 1 p.m.
- Jan. 3: at Alabama, 1 p.m.
- Jan. 7: Missouri (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
- Jan. 10: Mississippi State (Rupp Arena), 8:30 p.m.
- Jan. 14: at LSU, 7 p.m.
- Jan. 17: at Tennessee, Noon
- Jan. 21: Texas (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
- Jan. 24: Ole Miss (Rupp Arena), Noon
- Jan. 27: at Vanderbilt, 9 p.m.
- Jan. 31: at Arkansas, 6:30 p.m.
- Feb. 4: Oklahoma (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
- Feb. 7: Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 8:30 p.m.
- Feb. 14: at Florida, 3 p.m.
- Feb. 17: Georgia (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m.
- Feb. 21: at Auburn, 8:30 p.m.
- Feb. 24: at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 28: Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 2 p.m.
- March 3: at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
- March 7: Florida (Rupp Arena), 4 p.m.
Record: 2-1
- Denzel Aberdeen (guard, senior)
- Collin Chandler (guard, sophomore)
- Mouhamed Dioubate (forward, junior)
- Brandon Garrison (forward, junior)
- Braydon Hawthorne (forward, freshman)
- Walker Horn (guard, senior)
- Andrija Jelavić (forward, sophomore)
- Jasper Johnson (guard, freshman)
- Jaland Lowe (guard, junior)
- Malachi Moreno (freshman, center)
- Trent Noah (forward, sophomore)
- Otega Oweh (guard, senior)
- Reece Potter (forward, junior)
- Jayden Quaintance (forward, sophomore)
- Zach Tow (forward, senior)
- Kam Williams (guard, sophomore)
Click here to view the Panthers’ complete schedule.
Want to learn the Panthers’ roster?
Click here for player bios and more.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
