Kentucky’s upcoming preseason meeting with Texas Tech looks like the kind of exhibition that tells you something real.
Last year’s two tune-up games were a study in contrasts. The Wildcats beat No.
1 Purdue 78-65 at Rupp Arena, then followed that up by getting thumped 84-70 by unranked Georgetown. That second game offered a much clearer snapshot of where the team stood, and Kentucky appears to have lined up a similar measuring stick this fall.
According to KSR, the Wildcats will host Texas Tech at Rupp Arena before the regular season begins. Exhibition games come with caveats - rotations get strange, rules can change, and not every team treats the night like a full-speed competition - but Georgetown did, and the result exposed enough to matter. That’s why this matchup should draw plenty of attention from the Big Blue Nation.
The Red Raiders bring a different kind of challenge. Head coach Grant McCasland has kept Texas Tech in the thick of deep NCAA Tournament runs, and even without a national title, the program’s recent stretch has been more consistently elite than Kentucky’s. That makes this one especially intriguing.
Kentucky is also expected to face another Big 12 opponent in the preseason, along with Little Rock, coached by former Wildcat Travis Ford. That gives the Wildcats another home exhibition with a familiar face on the other sideline.
Texas Tech’s personnel should test Kentucky in a lot of different ways, even with JT Toppin expected to sit out as he continues recovering from a torn ACL. Toppin, who is the brother of former Wildcat Jacob Toppin, won’t be available, but the Red Raiders still have plenty to throw at Mark Pope’s group.
In the backcourt, Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins will have their hands full trying to deal with transfer guard Cruz Davis, who averaged 20 points per game and shot 40% from three last season. Darrion Williams, a transfer from NC State, is another problem. He shot 40.4% from deep, averaged 14 points and nearly five rebounds, and brings the kind of physical wing presence that can score inside and out.
That matchup also puts Milan Momcilovic under the microscope, especially with his defensive questions already in the picture. With Toppin out, Kentucky’s frontcourt gets a bit of a reprieve, but the overall challenge remains clear.
This is the sort of exhibition that can reveal a lot about where Kentucky stands before December’s grind arrives. And if the Wildcats do win it, they’ll at least want to avoid a repeat of last year’s strange aftermath against Little Rock.
In Other News...
Kentuckys Linebacker Situation Just Took A Turn Fans Need To Watch
Kentuckys linebacker room got a notable update this week when Will Stein said Antonio OBerry has exhausted his eligibility and will not play this season. The news narrows the defensive options at a position where depth always matters, especially as teams try to settle roles and build continuity heading into the stretch run of camp and into the fall.
Alex Afari Jr. offers a possible boost, though his situation is still in flux. He has rejoined the Wildcats and is back at practice while waiting on NCAA clarification about whether he can play a potential fifth season, after spending four years at Kentucky and taking part in an NFL rookie minicamp without signing with a team. For Kentucky, it leaves one spot clearly closed and another still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Works Is Giving Kentucky Fans A New Defensive Reason To Watch
Cedric CJ Works has started to emerge as one of the more intriguing pieces of Kentuckys defense, and not just because he got on the field in every game last season. With the Wildcats installing a more aggressive scheme under new defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, the sophomore is expected to take on the JACK role, a spot that asks for speed, edge pressure and enough versatility to bother offenses in a few different ways. It is the kind of assignment that can put a young defender on the radar quickly if the talent matches the opportunity.
Defensive line coach Anwar Stewart has already raised the ceiling talk by comparing Works to former Kentucky standout Josh Allen, which is the sort of praise that naturally gets attention in Lexington. Works, for his part, sounds eager for the challenge and believes the new system can help him take a step forward, even while acknowledging he still has plenty of room to develop. For a Kentucky defense looking for new playmakers, that combination of opportunity, confidence and upside is worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Defense Gets A Mixed Update Fans Will Be Watching Closely
Kentuckys defense got a mixed early-week update as Will Stein sorted through two familiar names with very different short-term paths. Transfer edge rusher Antonio OBerry will not be available after the NCAA ruled him ineligible because he has already completed five seasons of college football, trimming one option from the Wildcats pass-rush plans before he ever got a chance to settle in.
There was better news for former linebacker Alex Afari, who has been cleared to practice with the team as Kentucky waits on his competition status. Afari was a significant part of the Wildcats defense before, so even the possibility of getting him back into games would matter, but for now the final piece of that return still hangs in the balance. [Read more 🡒]