Mark Story: Kentucky basketball's '3-Headed GOAT' gives Cats chance to be a March Madness surprise

Mark Story, Lexington Herald-Leader on Feb 28, 2026

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — From the time the 2025-26 Kentucky men’s basketball season got off to a dispiriting start in November, most of the discussion about Mark Pope’s Cats has focused on the limitations UK will carry into March Madness.

On the final day of February, in front of a giddy Rupp Arena crowd, Kentucky put on display against No. 25 Vanderbilt the one major advantage it is bringing into March.

With UK guards Collin Chandler, Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen combining for 61 points and 10 assists, the Cats hung a 91-77 pasting on the visiting Commodores.

Chandler and Oweh each scored 23 points, while Aberdeen chipped in 15. As a result, UK (19-10, 10-6 SEC) dramatically turned the tables on Vandy (22-7, 9-7 SEC), which had bragged about its advantage in physicality after humbling the Cats with an 80-55 beatdown last month in Nashville, Tenn.

“Last time, they’re challenging our toughness, our manhood, you know, they kind of punked us,” Chandler said of Vanderbilt. “So (the rematch was) super important, super personal for us.”

It has long been a college basketball article of faith that veteran guards win in March. UK will be bringing three-seasoned guards playing at a high level into the college basketball season’s most important month.

Saturday was only the second time this season that all three of Kentucky’s trio of starting guards scored 15 or more points in the same game (the other was UK’s 85-80 win over Texas last month). This was the first time this season that two of UK’s three primary guards both went above 20 points while the third had at least 15.

“We have the “Three-Headed GOAT,” Oweh said of the UK backcourt. “That’s what we’re calling ourselves.”

Who came up with that?

“Me. I just came up with it right now,” Oweh said, laughing.

The “Three-Headed GOAT” backcourt brings ample maturity to March. Oweh and Aberdeen are seniors, and the latter was the top backcourt reserve on Florida’s 2025 NCAA title team. Though a sophomore academically, Chandler is 22 years old after spending his first two post-high school years serving a religious mission.

On Saturday, Chandler helped UK build a 46-31 halftime lead by burying 5 of 7 3-point attempts.

“I thought Chandler gave everybody confidence (with) the way he was making (shots) in the first half,” Vandy coach Mark Byington said. “Not that Oweh or Aberdeen need extra confidence, but I think it’s easier when a guy’s making those shots.”

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Chandler went 0 for 3 from behind the arc when UK got clubbed by Vanderbilt in Nashville. In the eight games since, he has made 29 of his 53 trey tries.

“I feel like we’re doing a really good job of feeding the hot hand and, on top of that, capitalizing,” Oweh said. “Today, the hot hand was Collin, but that opened up me and Denzel. (Vandy) had to respect and play so aggressive with Collin, the (driving) lanes opened up for us.”

Quietly, Aberdeen is putting together a laudable season. The 6-5, 195-pound Orlando product came north from Florida expecting to play on the wing for Kentucky.

Instead, injuries forced Aberdeen into the lead guard role for the Cats. Against Vanderbilt, he had four rebounds, four assists and no turnovers to go with his 15 points. Over UK’s past four games, Abdereen has 16 assists vs. one measly turnover.

“We ask a lot of Denzel, and he produces every single night,” Oweh said. “He’s a two(-guard), a combo guard at heart. Yet he’s running the point for us. It’s really good that he could transition his game like that but still play aggressive as well.”

Oweh failed to score in double figures for the first time this season and only the fourth time in his Kentucky career when he finished with eight points in UK’s 72-63 win at South Carolina Tuesday night.

You knew he would bounce back with vengeance against Vandy, and he did. The 6-4, 220-pound product of Newark, N.J., scored 17 of his 23 points after halftime as the Wildcats kept Vanderbilt from ever threatening in half two.

“He’s sitting there with six points (at) halftime, and a little bit of frustration,” Pope said of Oweh. “He is trying to make plays for (other) guys, but there’s a little frustration. Well, if you stay in this game, it is going to come back to you. He ends up with another 23-point game, and watching him kind of grow into that, like, rarefied air of understanding the game is pretty fun.”

Guard play alone does not win in March. On Saturday, UK got significant front-line contributions from freshman center Malachi Moreno (11 points, six rebounds, five assists), junior forward Mo Dioubate (eight points, four boards) and sophomore forward Andrija Jelavic (six points, three rebounds).

That will need to continue for UK to make any noise during the Madness.

Still, the one edge teams that win NCAA tournament games tend to have is an experienced backcourt that is playing well.

As March dawns, Kentucky has that.

“These veteran guards,” Pope said, “are fun.”

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