For the last month the Kentucky basketball fan base has been locked onto the transfer portal, and with good reason.

They just watched Mark Pope build a team completely from scratch and take it to the Sweet 16.

Not quite as much portal work needs to be done this year because there's some high school help, but there are also returning contributors in the form of big man Brandon Garrison, second-year small forward Trent Noah, and guard Collin Chandler.

When Pope spoke with Jon Rothstein this week those returning players were the first topic of discussion regarding the 2025-26 version of the Wildcats.

"I think Brandon Garrison, man, he's shown even in this young offseason he is hungry right now. He's a McDonald's All-American who had an unbelievable first year at Oklahoma State as a freshman and then clearly took a massive jump forward last year and I think he's ready to emerge as a superstar, and he understands how huge this summer is for him. He's really focused. He's got a very precise agenda of things he's working on and I know he's really hungry."

Garrison saw increased usage at Kentucky last year compared to his first season at Oklahoma State. His scoring, rebounding, and shooting numbers across the board were up, in five additional minutes per game.

At times in the second half of the season Garrison played as many minutes as starting big man Amari Williams. The Cats brought in a number of big men from the transfer portal, but Garrison's role seems secure, and the only question seems to be whether he starts or comes off the bench.

"I expect Collin Chandler to take a massive jump," Pope said, echoing the thoughts expressed by a large number of fans throughout the last season. "He showed huge strides in the last month of the season and he's got limitless capacity to be really special."

Chandler saw 13 minutes or more in seven of Kentucky's final eight games, which means he amounted to a rotation player for Pope. He showed a versatile skill set and has some ability to run the offense due to his passing.

"And this Trent Noah, I'm telling you, this Trent Noah is a baller. He is a big-time basketball player. He's going to bring over the next seasons some incredible physicality, skill, and toughness that's going to make everybody here proud.

Noah averaged 2.7 points per game last year, the same as Chandler, although he shot a significantly higher clip from the field. He also saw meaningful minutes even down the stretch last season, although Noah's minutes may well hinge more on the incoming transfers at those forward spots.

Of course, that left Otega Oweh. The former Oklahoma Sooner led Kentucky in scoring (16.2 PPG, 49.2% FG) last year and was at times that go-to guy in late game situations.

Oweh's return is not assured, as he's going through the draft process, but Pope seems eager to get him back to work with him for another year.

"Otega is going through this draft process and we're cheering for him every step of the way but I know a lot of his heart is back here at Kentucky and if he does return he'll probably return as the presumptive SEC Player of the Year favorite and clearly he's got a beautiful future ahead of him. It's a good group."