ESPN star rips iconic college basketball team with $22M roster for disappointing season

The Kentucky Wildcats hoops squad whitethorn inactive marque the NCAA Tournament, but Dick Vitale thinks this iconic programme should beryllium overmuch amended than their 19-12 grounds this play considering their whopping $22 cardinal roster. 

The legendary ESPN assemblage hoops expert didn’t clasp backmost his feelings astir the Wildcats arsenic they played Florida during Saturday’s premier SEC matchup. After the Gators deed immoderate escaped throws to widen their first-half pb to 26-19, Vitale started to laic into the Wildcats.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Head manager Mark Pope of the Kentucky Wildcats successful a crippled betwixt the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats connected March 7, 2026, astatine Rupp Arena successful Lexington, KY. (Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire)

"I’m going to accidental this close here, I’ve done respective Kentucky games, triumph oregon lose, $22 cardinal this squad [which has been reported] successful presumption of the NIL for their players," helium said, per Awful Announcing. "I deliberation successful $22 million, they could person enactment unneurotic a amended roster than they did. I truly do."

The Wildcats ended up losing by a people of 84-77, and Vitale continued astir Kentucky adjacent the extremity of their 12th nonaccomplishment of the season. 

"I’ll archer you 1 thing, you don’t privation to locomotion retired of present reasoning you got a motivation victory," Vitale said, referencing a hard-fought crippled against the No. 5-ranked Florida team. "Moral victories don’t number astatine this level of basketball. And you perceive immoderate of the people, ‘We played them close. We played them tough.’ 

"The bottommost enactment is you’re Kentucky. You’re Kentucky. And you’ve got to permission present with a win, particularly astatine home. There are nary motivation victories. Come on. I don’t privation to perceive that."

Collin Chandler and Jasper Johnson of the Kentucky Wildcats observe successful the archetypal fractional against the Ole Miss Rebels astatine Rupp Arena connected Jan. 24, 2026 successful Lexington, Kentucky. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The Wildcats were erstwhile the apical programme successful the state nether erstwhile Coach John Calipari, who near for Arkansas aft being incapable to marque a agelong March Madness tally successful caller seasons, including a shocking archetypal circular upset to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies successful the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

The Wildcats person been coached by Mark Pope since, and they made the Sweet 16 successful past year’s tourney earlier losing to Tennessee. 

Kentucky Jasper Johnson successful enactment vs Michigan State astatine Madison Square Garden successful New York, NY connected Nov. 18, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated )

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But this year, Kentucky is 10-8 successful SEC play, and present look the No. 9 effect successful the upcoming tourney this week. The victor of each league earns a tourney berth, but the Wildcats cognize bully seeding successful the NCAA Tournament requires a beardown tally heading into Selection Sunday this upcoming weekend. 

The Wildcats volition commencement their SEC Tournament play connected Wednesday against No. 16 LSU. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Related Article