Kentucky 'earning confidence' while Texas tries to resume winning ways

Field Level Media|published: Tue 20th January, 18:28 2026

Jan 17, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) dunks the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

There's never a great time to face Kentucky on its home floor, but Texas' visit Wednesday night to Rupp Arena seems particularly untimely.

Two weeks ago, Kentucky appeared on track for its worst season since 2021. But now? The Wildcats (12-6, 3-2 SEC) are flying after back-to-back gutsy comebacks. The latest was an 80-78 road win Saturday at Tennessee -- a game they trailed by 17 late in the first half.

Now on a three-game winning streak, the Wildcats are gaining confidence and sit just one game out of the SEC lead.

"Confidence, you don't just get it, right? You have to earn it," said Kentucky coach Mark Pope. "You've got to do the gritty, hard, miserable work of earning confidence. They're earning the confidence they have."

The win Saturday was Kentucky's third straight when falling behind by at least 12 points. It's a team that has started slow in almost all of its games against major opponents.

Forward Jayden Quaintance will miss his fourth straight game Wednesday with swelling in his knee. It's the same knee the 6-foot-10 sophomore tore his ACL in playing for Arizona State last February.

Preseason SEC Player of the Year Otega Oweh leads the Wildcats with 15.6 points per game and has four 20-point games in league play.

Meanwhile, Texas (11-7, 2-3 SEC) sits unsettingly on the NCAA Tournament bubble as ESPN's latest mock bracket picks the Longhorns as the last team in. Bouncing back from an 0-2 start in SEC play, the Longhorns are coming off a tough 74-70 home loss to Texas A&M on Saturday that snapped a two-game winning streak.

"In the first four minutes of the second half, we were not ready to play," said Texas coach Sean Miller. "If you add up the last three or four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half, that's where the game was won or lost. They crushed us."

Texas saw a 24-18 lead become a 44-34 deficit in those two segments.

Dailyn Swain leads the Longhorns with 15.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

Matas Vokietaitis (15.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg) had 22 points in an upset of Vanderbilt last Wednesday and 14 points and nine rebounds against the Aggies.

--Field Level Media