Kentucky Players Thrilled to Add Mo Dioubate After Last Season’s Battles

“If You Can’t Beat Him, Recruit Him”: Kentucky Players Thrilled to Add Mo Dioubate After Last Season’s Battles

For months last season, Mo Dioubate was a nightmare Kentucky couldn’t wake up from. Now, he’s the Wildcats’ newest weapon and no one in Lexington is more relieved than the players who had to go head-to-head with him.

The 6-foot-7 forward, who transferred from Alabama to join Mark Pope’s revamped Kentucky roster for the 2025–26 season, was one of the most disruptive forces the Wildcats faced all year. In fact, the Crimson Tide swept Kentucky in all three of their matchups last season including a season-ending loss in the SEC Tournament and Dioubate played a pivotal role in every single one.

“He punished us,” Pope admitted earlier this offseason. “I don’t like to say it, but, man, he punished us three straight games this season. It was not a happy time for us.”

From Thorn in Their Side to Teammate

Now? That thorn has become a teammate. And the tone inside Kentucky’s locker room has shifted from frustration to excitement.

“It’s gonna be lovely,” senior guard Otega Oweh said Tuesday when asked about teaming up with Dioubate. “I know what he brings, and I didn’t like playing against him, if I’m being honest. I know he’s gonna have that same effect on other people on other teams. It’s gonna be great. And he’s a great guy too.”

Few Kentucky players understand Dioubate’s impact better than Oweh, who had one of his worst stretches of the season against Alabama. Heading into their second matchup, Oweh had scored in double figures in 26 straight games. Then came Dioubate and the Crimson Tide.

In round two, Alabama held Oweh to just two points on 1-for-9 shooting. In the SEC Tournament, he mustered only eight points on another poor shooting night. Two of Oweh’s three single-digit scoring outings all season came against Dioubate-led Alabama defenses.

“He plays defense like me, but he’s a four/five and he’s big and he can move his feet,” Oweh added. “It don’t matter who he’s guarding. He could guard a 5-8 guard, a 6-10 big, it don’t matter. He’s gonna go out there and just be a dog.”

The Defensive Edge Kentucky Needed

Dioubate’s statistical contributions last year don’t tell the whole story but they don’t hurt, either. In just 16 minutes per game, he averaged 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 stocks (steals plus blocks), and shot 61.7% from the field, even connecting on 12-of-26 three-point attempts.

He tormented Kentucky across all three matchups, capping it off with a 13-point, 8-rebound performance in Alabama’s postseason rout.

Now, Dioubate joins a Kentucky roster that’s undergone a major transformation under Pope. With high-level freshmen like Jayden Quaintance, Jasper Johnson, and Jaland Lowe, along with returners like Brandon Garrison and Oweh, the Wildcats are hoping Dioubate’s edge brings a missing dimension to their roster.

Building Chemistry Early

Junior center Brandon Garrison, who will likely share the frontcourt with Dioubate this season, said the two have already started to build chemistry both on and off the court.

“Physicality, great defender, fast, mobile… but I say really, just his physicality is gonna help this team out,” Garrison said. “We talked about a couple games, you know, because they beat us and stuff. So we talk about that, just playing around. I feel like me and him are gonna connect real well. We’ve already been chopping up a lot, we’ve been on the game a lot, talking outside of the facility.”

In a league as rugged and athletic as the SEC, Kentucky fans can expect Dioubate’s arrival to bring an instant impact on the boards, on switches, and in transition. With his toughness and versatility, Pope now has a defensive-minded enforcer who has already proven he can dominate some of the SEC’s best.

From Villain to Fan Favorite?

It’s the classic tale: if you can’t beat him, bring him home.

Mo Dioubate made life miserable for Kentucky last season. This year, he might just help them make a run at an SEC title and more.

And if he brings the same fire he used against the Wildcats to his new role for them, Kentucky’s future just got a whole lot tougher for everyone else.