Kentucky’s very expensive 2025-26 roster build has been a big part of the Wildcats’ storyline this season. Reports of Kentucky’s spending leaked out before the season, beginning with the Lexington Herald-Leader’s report that Kentucky spent around $22 million on Mark Pope’s second team. Two months later, Matt Norlander called the Wildcats “the most overpaid, overrated, disappointing team” in the sport after a shocking loss to Gonzaga in early December.
That narrative didn’t die when Kentucky turned things around in SEC play, winning eight of nine games at one point. Earlier this month, Dick Vitale called out Kentucky’s NIL spending after the Wildcats lost at home on Senior Day in the regular-season finale.