Basketball season is right around the corner for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. The first exhibition game of the season for the Wildcats is coming up this Friday, and it will be the first opportunity for Big Blue Nation to see this year's team against outside competition.
Fans are excited about this team, but there are some concerns for the fan base, as the Wildcats were picked to finish 7th in the SEC this season by the media. It is hard to see a world where, if this happens, Pope is the coach in Lexington after this season. This shows why it is so important that, in year three of the Pope era, the Wildcats overachieve.
Oct. 6, 2026 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
One of the top college basketball media personalities Jon Rothstein talked a lot about the SEC yesterday, and during this conversation he shared who he believes is the X-factor for the Kentucky Wildcats. According to Rothstein, the Washington transfer Zoom Diallo is going to be the X-factor for Pope and the Wildcats. Diallo is a point guard who played two years at Washington, putting up very impressive numbers, and now he has taken a step up and is ready to run the Pope offense.
Last year at Washington, Diallo averaged 15.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game for the Huskies. He is one of the best driving guards in college basketball, but he isn't an elite three-point shooter. During his two-year college career, Diallo has only made 29 three-point shots, so he won't be shooting much from outside. I do believe Diallo is going to have the best shooting season of his career, but he is still known more as a driver.
Zoom Diallo is the X-Factor for Kentucky.https://t.co/37P3IN7QoQ (Apple) https://t.co/sNq3sf1Q9E (Spotify)https://t.co/A3RRE14rSv (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/ZBuVFMB1op
– Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 12, 2026
I agree with Rothstein that Diallo needs to have a good season if the Wildcats are going to overachieve. Kentucky has had issues at point guard injury-wise during the Pope era, and without an elite point guard, this offense doesn't go. Hopefully Diallo is going to be the missing piece that Pope has been looking for.
Diallo is a fan favorite in Lexington already and the leader of this team. I feel that a really good season is coming up for the Wildcats' point guard this season. Not many are too high on the guard for Pope and the Wildcats this season, but the tandem of Diallo and the Furman transfer Alex Wilkins is really going to shock some people this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as Jon Rothstein names the X-Factor for Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats .