Kentucky’s season got off to a clean start Monday night, and the Wildcats had plenty to like in an 85-57 win over Manhattan. Mark Pope’s team looked sharp on offense, several players who had been waiting to pop finally did, and the overall reaction from Big Blue Nation was positive. With just one more tune-up left before Kansas, Kentucky has at least given itself a solid opening base.
The biggest bright spots came from the backcourt. Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins both showed a much better version of themselves after some uneven exhibition outings.
Freshman Mason Williams also made his presence felt, finishing with seven points and five assists. Diallo added 12 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Wilkins turned in 11 points, five assists and seven steals.
The guards still need to protect the ball better, but this was the kind of night that should build confidence.
Milan Momcilovic was the headliner. He was reported to have cost about six million dollars to bring to Lexington, and against Manhattan he looked like every bit of that investment.
Momcilovic poured in 24 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out an assist, all while going 6-for-9 from three-point range. The sharpshooter is clearly chasing Jodie Meeks’ Kentucky single-season record of 117 made threes from 2008-09.
He’s six in already, with 112 still to go.
Not everything was crisp, though. Ousmane N’Diaye and Justin McBirde combined to shoot just 3-for-12, and both will need better nights if they want to hold off the minutes that Kam Williams is expected to take when he returns soon.
Even so, there’s still confidence that both players will settle in and have strong seasons. N’Diaye, especially, was described as having upside through the roof, and the expectation is that he’ll keep improving as the year goes on.
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Kentucky Heads Into Tennessee With Stakes This Rivalry Rarely Sees
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The setting only adds to the intrigue. Both teams still have realistic postseason paths, and the stakes are high enough that the result could shape the rest of their schedules as much as the standings. It also gives Kentucky a fresh coaching wrinkle to watch in the 122nd meeting between these schools, with Will Stein and Josh Heupel set to guide the next chapter of a rivalry that rarely has this much national relevance attached to it. [Read more 🡒]