No. 24 Kentucky heads back to Lexington on Friday with a chance to steady itself after a rough night in Chicago, where the Wildcats were handled 89-69 by No. 15 Kansas in the Champions Classic.
The loss exposed a few ugly numbers for Mark Pope’s group. Kentucky hit only 4 of 21 shots from 3-point range and gave the ball away 15 times. Kansas coughed it up 10 times, but still won the turnover battle in the most damaging way possible, piling up a 22-0 edge in points off turnovers.
Zoom Diallo kept Kentucky afloat offensively, scoring 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting. Malachi Moreno added 19 points and 10 rebounds, finishing 8 of 11 from the floor.
After that, the production dropped off sharply. The rest of the roster combined to shoot 9 of 33, and Kentucky never got within 10 points after halftime.
Pope didn’t sugarcoat what happened, calling it “a brutal lesson,” but he also made clear he expects his team to respond.
“This is a good group that’s going to learn and respond,” Pope said. “There’ll be some toughness, and they come compete every day in practice. It’ll be a bloody practice tomorrow and Thursday, and then we’ll come to play Friday.
“That’s actually the beauty of the season, and that’s where we are. We’re going to keep learning and growing, and I like this group for it, man. I’m telling you, I’m betting on this group.”
Diallo has been Kentucky’s most reliable scorer so far, leading the team at 17.3 points per game. Milan Momcilovic is averaging 12 points, but he hasn’t reached double figures since his 24-point outing in the season-opening win over Manhattan on Nov.
- The nation’s top 3-point shooter last season has also gone just 2 of 11 from deep over Kentucky’s last two games.
Northern Arizona comes in trying to survive a brutal opening stretch of its own. Friday’s matchup finishes a four-game road trip to begin the season for the Lumberjacks, who are 0-3 after a 90-59 loss at No.
12 Arizona on Tuesday. The Wildcats shot 61.7% in that one, making 37 of 60 attempts.
Shane Burcar said on the team’s postgame radio show that losses like that can create problems inside a locker room, though he also believes the schedule will help his team when Big Sky play arrives.
“It’s really important that our guys stay confident and believe in themselves because some of these games most certainly can be misleading,” he said.
Chris Komin has been Northern Arizona’s bright spot. He leads the Lumberjacks and the Big Sky with 20.7 points per game, shooting 21-for-41 from the field and 7-for-16 from 3-point range. Against Arizona, he finished with 17 points and five assists.
Komin and Ryan Abelman, who averages 12.7 points per game, are back from a Northern Arizona team that went 10-22 last season and finished last in the 10-team Big Sky at 4-14. With Southern Utah and Utah Tech added to the league this year, the Lumberjacks were picked to finish 11th in the preseason poll of coaches and media.
In Other News...
Floridas Latest Availability Shift Could Matter For Kentucky Saturday
The SECs new weekly availability reports are already adding another layer to Saturdays Kentucky-Florida matchup, and Kentuckys side of the ledger stayed steady when the latest update came out. The Wildcats did not list any changes from the previous report, with several players still sidelined because of long-term injuries, so their preparation for the game in Gainesville remains centered more on who is available than on any late-breaking surprises.
Florida, though, made a notable adjustment by adding defensive back Dijon Johnson as doubtful, a development that could matter in a game where every healthy body in the secondary counts. The Gators already had multiple players sitting in the out, doubtful or questionable categories, so the latest shift only deepens the uncertainty around their roster heading into a matchup that could hinge on how much depth each side has left by kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Defense Faces An Uncomfortable Brad White Comparison
Kentuckys defense has become the kind of unit that invites comparison to the one Brad White built, and not always in flattering ways. Under Jay Bateman, the Wildcats have shown some of the same baseline sturdiness that defined Whites tenure, but the broader picture has been less steady when it comes to points allowed, total defense and the ability to create turnovers. The numbers are close enough to make the conversation unavoidable, especially for a program that has long leaned on defense as its identity.
The uncomfortable part is where the current group has been more vulnerable, particularly on third downs and against the pass, two areas that can expose even a respectable front seven. Kentuckys offense has also had to keep adjusting, including changes at quarterback, which only adds pressure on a defense that is being measured against a recent standard. For now, the comparison says as much about expectations as it does about performance, and it leaves the Wildcats trying to prove they can match the old formula without looking like a step behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Fans Have A Week 11 Scoreboard To Watch Closely
Kentucky heads into the final three weeks of the college football season at 7-2 and sitting just above the College Football Playoff cut line, which makes every scoreboard worth monitoring from here on out. The Wildcats do not need to control their own fate to understand the stakes, because the playoff race is crowded enough that ranked matchups around the country can shift the picture in a hurry.
Week 11 offers exactly the kind of viewing guide Kentucky fans will want handy, with several games involving ranked teams carrying real implications for the bracket. For a program trying to stay positioned on the right side of the conversation, the focus now is not just on what Kentucky does next, but on which contenders around the country stumble and which ones keep building their case. [Read more 🡒]