No. 23 Kentucky overcame a sluggish start and early turnover struggles to defeat No. 19 Texas Tech 76-65 in an NCAA men’s college basketball exhibition matchup. The victory moves Kentucky to 157-13 all-time in exhibition contests and marks a 36-1 run in exhibitions dating back to August 2014.
The contest began with ball-security concerns echoing Kentucky’s previous outing against Little Rock, where the Wildcats committed 19 turnovers. Against Texas Tech, primary facilitators Alex Wilkins, Malachi Moreno, and Zoom Diallo struggled early, combining for five turnovers as Kentucky fell into an early 25-18 deficit. At the 7:29 television timeout in the first half, Kentucky had surrendered seven turnovers to just one for Texas Tech.
However, stabilization arrived as Wilkins and freshman Mason Williams took control of the backcourt. Kentucky orchestrated a decisive 17-3 run to overtake the Red Raiders, squaring the turnover battle at seven apiece by halftime while building a 37-33 lead. The Wildcats tightened their ball movement further in the second half, committing only four turnovers to finish with 11 for the game.
Mark Pope’s squad also found its rhythm from beyond the arc after a rocky start. After sinking just 1 of 11 three-point attempts in the opening half, Kentucky connected on 6 of 12 long-range shots after the break. Two crucial treys from Wilkins down the stretch extended a narrow 62-59 lead to 70-61, before a late three-pointer from Milan Momcilovic pushed the margin to 73-63 and effectively sealed the outcome. The Wildcats finished 7 of 23 from three-point range.
Freshman Mason Williams continued a strong start to his collegiate career, providing a standout performance after entering the season ranked as the No. 139 prospect in the Class of 2026 by the Rivals 150. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound guard scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, adding to a 10-point, three-assist, three-steal outing against Little Rock. With the game tied at 54, Williams drained a three-pointer from the right of the circle to reclaim the lead, followed immediately by a steal from Cruz Davis and a spinning eight-footer in the lane that pushed the advantage to 60-54.
The matchup represents the fifth time in Kentucky men’s basketball history that the program has faced a Division I opponent in an exhibition game, bringing the Wildcats’ record in such matchups to 4-1. Kentucky’s previous Division I exhibition encounters include a 92-67 win over Morehead State in October 2017, a 78-65 victory over No. 1 Purdue in October 2025, an 84-70 loss to Georgetown later that month, and a 69-49 win over Little Rock.
Kentucky will conclude its exhibition slate ahead of the 2026-27 regular season by hosting Central Florida at Rupp Arena.
