Alex Wilkins Tallies Seven Steals In Kentucky Opener As John Gallagher Warns SEC Rivals

Sophomore point guard Alex Wilkins recorded seven steals and 11 points in Kentucky's season-opening 85-57 victory over Manhattan on Tuesday night.

Wilkins played 27 minutes off the bench, shooting 3 of 6 from three-point range.

His seven steals led all players in the game and marked the highest single-game steal total for a Kentucky player in a season opener in recent program history.

Manhattan head coach John Gallagher had a front-row seat to Wilkins' defensive performance.

Gallagher knows Wilkins from a prior scouting background — he tracked the guard's development before Tuesday's matchup.

“He’s way more mature,” Gallagher said after the game.

“I think he did a great job with the opportunity, and at the end of the day he really understands angles and his length bothers people.”

Wilkins stands 6-foot-6 and plays the point guard position.

“He’s a 6-foot-6 point guard,” Gallagher continued.

“He’s going to be a handful. And he really understands when to go, when not to go.”

Gallagher then issued a direct warning to the rest of the Southeastern Conference.

“I think he could be a real defensive menace in the SEC,” Gallagher said.

Wilkins is in his second season at Kentucky after transferring from Iowa State.

Last season, he averaged 8.2 points, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

His seven-steal outburst against Manhattan nearly matched his single-game career high of eight steals, which he set during his freshman season.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has emphasized defensive intensity since taking over the program.

Pope has described his team as “a team of learners” who improve rapidly.

“They’ve proven that all summer and all fall and all preseason and they will continue to learn,” Pope said ahead of Friday’s game against James Madison.

“They learn fast. They will be better when we come out on Friday.”

Wilkins’ defensive performance came in a game where Kentucky forced 18 Manhattan turnovers.

The Wildcats converted those turnovers into 24 points on the offensive end.

Kentucky also hit 12 three-pointers in the game, the most in a season opener since 2010.

Wilkins accounted for three of those 12 makes from beyond the arc.

Senior forward Milan Momcilovic led Kentucky with six three-pointers on 6-of-9 shooting.

Senior forward Justin McBride, who transferred from James Madison, played 16 minutes and hit a three-pointer in his Kentucky debut.

McBride averaged 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds last season at JMU.

James Madison visits Rupp Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

JMU is coached by Preston Spradlin, a Pikeville, Kentucky native who spent five seasons at Kentucky as a graduate assistant and director of operations.

Spradlin has guided James Madison to a 38-27 record over two seasons, including a share of the Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship in 2025.

Pope praised Spradlin ahead of the matchup.

“I do think Preston Spradlin is one of the great human beings in the coaching profession,” Pope said.

“He’s a heck of a coach, man. He’s a big-time coach. He’s a better person.”

Wilkins will face a James Madison defense that allowed 68 points per game last season.

The Dukes return three starters from last year’s roster.

Pope has also addressed social media criticism directed at his players and program.

“The most important thing for our team that we’ve said since the first day we were here is that the only opinion that matters to us is the one in our locker room,” Pope said.

“We practice that. We actually talk about it. We’ve broken that down a hundred different ways. We probably address it every other day.”

Pope acknowledged that criticism can either harm or unite a team.

“You have two options with criticism,” Pope said.

“You can let the criticism have an impact on you in a negative way or you can take criticism and it can be something that solidifies a group together.”

Pope’s own sideline demeanor has drawn attention this season.

During Tuesday’s blowout win, Pope erupted during a timeout, visibly berating his team despite a 31-point lead.

He also snapped a whiteboard over his knee.

Pope has explained that he intentionally saves his highest intensity for moments when the team’s standard drops.

“If a coach operates at a level 10 all the time, the players become numb to it,” Pope has said.

Fans have embraced Pope’s more fiery sideline presence, dubbing it the “Dark Pope” era.

Wilkins’ emergence as a defensive stopper fits into Pope’s broader philosophy of relentless standards.

Gallagher’s warning suggests that Wilkins has the potential to disrupt SEC offenses on a regular basis.

The SEC features elite point guards across the conference, including at Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn.