Kentucky destroys KWC 123-52 in the first exhibition of the Mark Pope era

Kentucky looked a little different Wednesday night at Rupp Arena. A new head coach. A new staff. A new team. Even a new dish. What didn’t change, however, was an exciting brand of basketball.

In the first preparatory game Mark Pope era in Lexington, The 23rd-ranked Wildcats completely knocked Kentucky Wesleyan out of the ranks of Division II, winning by a stunning score of 123-52. It was exactly the type of performance fans wanted to see from this new-look Kentucky program. Pope promised an entertaining and exciting offense and that’s exactly what we saw: 21 three-pointers (50 percent), 32 assists with five turnovers and plenty of transition opportunities (39 fastbreak points).

Jaxson Robinson led Kentucky with 19 points on 7-12 shooting (5-9 3PT). Otega Oweh wasn’t far behind with 18 points on 7:9 shooting. Lamont Butler And Amari Williams Both also stuffed the stat sheet. Butler had 11 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals, while Williams himself contributed 12 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Ansley Almonor (15 points), Koby Brea (13) and Andrew Carr (10) all also reached double-digit values. Trent Noah hit all four of his triples down the stretch and finished with 12 points. Kerr Kriisa could not play due to a hamstring injury.

The Wildcats’ defense may have surprised some people too. KWC shot just 33 percent from the floor and went 4-for-26 from deep. The Panthers turned the ball over 18 times and looked completely outmatched all evening. Having a few former Defensive Player of the Year winners on the roster will do that.

The game started slowly and the score was tied at 4-4 before an Oweh triple got Kentucky’s rushing attack going. The Wildcats gained a double-digit lead after just six minutes and extended that lead through halftime.

Great Britain held a commanding lead of 60-24 at the break with 8:20 shots from distance (although they started the evening with 3:12 from distance). The Cats recorded 18 assists with just one turnover in the first 20 minutes of play. Robinson led the scoring with 13 points.

As you may have guessed, the second half was more of the same. Kentucky’s lead quickly grew to 40 points, then 50, then 60 before settling at 71. Noah came into play towards the end and hit a quartet of three-pointers to put the icing on the cake.

Kentucky will complete its preseason next Tuesday when Minnesota State Mankato comes to Rupp Arena. The first regular season game is scheduled for Monday, November 4th at home against Wright State.