Kentucky’s exhibition opener delivered the result the Wildcats wanted, but it also offered a little more drama than most fans probably had in mind for a first look. The 69-49 win over Little Rock came with the most important box checked - nobody got hurt - yet the performance itself left a mixed bag of takeaways.
Little Rock, coached by former Kentucky great Travis Ford, made the Wildcats earn every bit of it. The Trojans battled hard and forced Kentucky into a game that exposed both the ceiling and the rough edges of this roster.
The biggest issue was the ball. Kentucky turned it over 19 times and finished with just 12 assists, a combination that made the offense look disjointed for long stretches.
Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins were at the center of that problem, combining for 7 turnovers and 6 assists. Some of the assist shortage came from missed shots, but the turnover count was the more alarming number.
At one point in the second half, the TV announcers said that Kentucky looked like it had never seen a press before. That’s not the kind of line you want attached to a team with this much talent. Little Rock’s pressure repeatedly disrupted the Wildcats’ rhythm, and when Kentucky couldn’t get cleanly into its sets, the talent advantage didn’t matter nearly as much.
The good news for Kentucky was that the other end of the floor looked far more promising. The Wildcats held Little Rock to 31% shooting, forced 15 turnovers, and piled up 9 steals and 8 blocks.
The length was obvious. The Trojans’ tallest player checked in at 6-foot-9, while Kentucky deployed a roster with 10 players who have wingspans over 6-foot-7.
That kind of size changes the game. It closes passing lanes, makes ball handlers uncomfortable, and gives a team a chance to turn defense into transition offense.
The press may not be fashionable everywhere, but this Kentucky roster looks built to make it work. Against Little Rock, the Wildcats showed enough activity and disruption to suggest real upside if that intensity carries forward.
Milan Momcilovic also gave Kentucky exactly the kind of early return you want from a new piece in Mark Pope’s offense. He finished with 16 points, hit 4 3s, and added 7 rebounds.
The scoring was expected. The rest of the line made it even better.
His best moment came with a little more than five minutes left, when he picked off a bad pass, dribbled behind his back, and pulled up from deep for one of his threes. It was a smooth sequence that showed how quickly he can turn defense into offense. On a night when Kentucky’s attack was uneven, Momcilovic still found ways to impact the game in multiple areas.
The opener wasn’t clean, but it did give Coach Pope and his staff a clear picture of where the work needs to happen. Taking care of the basketball and handling pressure have to get better fast. Even so, the defensive tools are there, and Momcilovic already looks like someone who can matter every night.
In Other News...
Kentucky Faces A Tougher Oklahoma Test Than Fans May Expect
Kentuckys trip to Oklahoma sits in the middle of a crowded week of college football picks, but it stands out because this is the kind of game where the familiar SEC script can get upended in a hurry. The matchup comes with plenty of recent trend-watching attached, along with the sort of player and performance notes that shape how these predictions get made, and it gives the Wildcats a chance to show they can handle a road test that looks tougher on paper than some fans may have expected.
Oklahoma brings the sort of profile that can punish a team if it starts slowly, and that is why this one has drawn more attention than a routine conference preview. Kentuckys outlook is tied to whether it can match the Sooners tempo and avoid the kind of mistakes that tend to decide games like this, which is also what makes the prediction angle so interesting: the gap between what people think and what actually happens could be smaller than it appears. [Read more 🡒]
Lance Heard Is Giving Kentucky's Offense Something Few Tackles Can
Lance Heard has quickly become one of the more versatile pieces in Kentuckys offense, and that matters for a team looking for every edge up front. The left tackle has not allowed a sack through the first six games, but his impact has gone well beyond pass protection. Kentucky has found ways to use his size and movement skills in space, including a highlight-reel sweep against South Carolina, and the results have given the Wildcats something few offenses can say they have from the tackle spot.
His coaches have also been creative with how they deploy him, at times lining him up as a lead blocker in the backfield, a role Heard has clearly embraced. He was again part of the story in Kentuckys recent overtime win against LSU, adding another layer to a season that has already shown how valuable he can be when the Wildcats ask him to do more than the usual left tackle job. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's Linebacker Situation Just Took Another Unexpected Turn
Kentuckys inside linebacker picture got a little clearer, at least for the moment, when Alex Afari was granted eligibility to play by a temporary injunction from Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Brian Edwards. The ruling comes amid a lawsuit challenging how the NCAA is applying its new five-year eligibility rules to players who graduated high school in 2022, and it adds another twist to a situation that has already moved through multiple legal decisions.
For Kentucky, the timing matters because Afaris status directly affects a depth chart that has been under pressure at inside linebacker. His return gives the Wildcats another option in a spot where every available body counts, even as the larger eligibility fight continues to play out in court. [Read more 🡒]