Kentucky finished its preseason exhibition slate with a 3-0 record after surviving a tight overtime battle against the Central Florida Knights on Wednesday night. The No. 23 Wildcats secured a 90-76 victory at Rupp Arena, though the win required a last-second rescue in regulation to avoid an upset.
Alex Wilkins forces overtime
The game nearly ended in regulation with a UCF victory. With only 11 seconds remaining and Kentucky trailing, freshman Brayden Hawthorne had a chance to reclaim the lead but missed two free throws. After the Knights split a pair of free throws to hold a slim lead, sophomore guard Alex Wilkins drove the length of the court and hit a floater just as the buzzer sounded. That runner tied the game at 71, sending the contest into an extra five-minute period.
Wilkins finished the night with 12 points, including five in the overtime frame. While the final score suggests a comfortable margin, the path there was volatile. Kentucky held double-digit leads in both the first and second halves, yet they allowed UCF to linger within striking distance for much of the second half. At one point, the Wildcats went over four minutes without scoring, a drought that allowed the Knights to knot the game at 63-63 during the final media timeout of regulation.
Moreno and Momcilovic lead the box score
While the ending was tense, the individual performances provided a glimpse of the Wildcats’ ceiling. Malachi Moreno nearly recorded a triple-double, stuffing the stat sheet with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. Milan Momcilovic proved to be the most consistent offensive threat, leading all scorers with 19 points and six rebounds. Momcilovic was particularly dominant in the overtime period, accounting for seven of Kentucky’s 19 points in the final frame.
Freshman Mason Williams also showed flashes of reliability, contributing 18 points. The team’s efficiency was a mixed bag; Kentucky shot 44.4 percent from the field and hit 13 of 36 attempts from beyond the arc (36.1 percent). In contrast, UCF struggled significantly with their shooting, being held to a 34.3 percent clip from the field for the night.
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milan Momcilovic | 19 | 6 | – |
| Mason Williams | 18 | – | – |
| Malachi Moreno | 16 | 14 | 8 |
| Alex Wilkins | 12 | – | – |
UCF cuts Kentucky lead after poor start
The game began as a shooting slump for both sides. UCF hit just one of its first nine looks, while Kentucky started 2-10. Despite the poor start, the Wildcats managed a quick 7-0 run—fueled by a three-pointer from Momcilovic and an and-one play by Williams—to establish an early 14-5 lead. By the first half’s final media timeout, Kentucky was up by double digits.
That control evaporated quickly. Wilkins briefly left the floor with an apparent injury before returning, and during that window, UCF found their rhythm. The Knights closed the first half on a 13-4 run, cutting the lead to 39-35 at the intermission. This pattern of instability repeated in the second half; after Kentucky pushed a lead to 13 points, they again allowed UCF to claw back into the game.
The disparity in the overtime period was the only time the game felt decided. Kentucky shot 6-8 from the field in the extra frame, outscoring UCF 19-5. It was a clinical finish to a game that had been anything but clean.
Manhattan opens the real slate
However, a 3-0 preseason record provides a psychological cushion for the roster.
The training wheels come off next Tuesday, Nov. 3, when Kentucky returns to Rupp Arena to face Manhattan in their first official game of the season.
