Former Kentucky star Anthony Epps has a message for Big Blue Nation

It has been a difficult offseason for the Kentucky Wildcats, and their fans in particular. Though they have added some talented players, and retained a couple of key members of last year's team, they have missed on all of their recruiting targets, and most of their top transfer portal targets as well, most notably Donnie Freeman.

After a hugely disappointing season that has Big Blue Nation ready to move on from Mark Pope in favor of someone who can bring talent to Kentucky. It's easy to understand the sentiment, but former Wildcats star Anthony Epps is looking at it a different way, and posted a message to all of Big Blue Nation on X telling them "Stop dwelling over who is not here and get behind who is!"

It's a strong message in support of Coach Pope and the Kentucky staff from someone who won a championship with the Wildcats. He was a member of the same championship squad as Pope in 1996, but his message is valid.

Obviously, Kentucky's roster, as it stands, looks like it has some holes. There's no depth at center, and they don't have anybody who is a safe bet to replace Otega Oweh's scoring and clutch play. However, they have some very promising players who could be better than expected in Alex Wilkins and Braydon Hawthorne. They're also expected to get Malachi Moreno back, and he could be ready for a breakout season as well.

In the end, there's no way to judge the team until the season is here. Pope took a similar team to the Sweet 16 in 2025, proving that experience and good fits beat raw individual talent. There is also still time to add to the roster too. There could be some elite players who pull out of the draft.

For now, fans can be disappointed, and that's fair, but Epps is right. It's fine to be upset, but get behind the players who are here, and root for them to surprise everyone.

This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: