Exhibition season begins for Kentucky Basketball on Friday as the Wildcats take on Little Rock at Rupp Arena. The matchup will offer fans their first look at Mark Pope’s revamped roster ahead of the regular season.
Pope enters his third season as Kentucky’s head coach after experiencing both success and frustration in his first two years. His debut season ended with a Sweet 16 appearance, but the Wildcats struggled to find consistency in Year 2, finishing with an early exit from the SEC Tournament before suffering a blowout loss to Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
Now, Kentucky has overhauled much of its roster in hopes of returning to its previous success. The Wildcats added guards Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Mason Williams and Jerone Morton, while bringing in forward Milan Momcilovic alongside returning forwards Braydon Hawthorne and Kam Williams.
Kentucky also returns big man Malachi Moreno while adding Justin McBride, Franck Kepnang and Ousmane N’Diaye to strengthen its frontcourt.
This year’s team could resemble Pope’s first Kentucky squad, with an emphasis on offensive production. However, questions remain about whether the Wildcats can defend and rebound consistently enough to compete at a high level.
Shooting
Kentucky should be a better shooting team than it was last season. The Wildcats struggled to find offensive consistency, and Pope addressed that issue by bringing in several new players who can score and create opportunities for their teammates.
Diallo and Wilkins should help facilitate the offense, while Momcilovic, one of the team’s biggest transfer additions, brings an impressive perimeter shooting profile after shooting 48.7% from 3-point range last season.
Could Kentucky reach 30 3-point attempts per game this season? The roster has the potential to make that a realistic goal, but Friday’s exhibition should offer an early indication of how the offense will operate.
Not at full strength
Kentucky will be shorthanded against Little Rock as several players deal with injuries or workload management.
Trent Noah is out after aggravating a hamstring injury, while Momcilovic is dealing with a jammed finger. Kepnang is being managed to help ensure he is healthy for the regular season, and Kam Williams is recovering from a second foot surgery.
Morton had also been making a strong impression before suffering a serious knee injury and is expected to miss several weeks.
Although this is only an exhibition, the number of injuries is concerning for Pope and the Wildcats as they prepare for the regular season. Getting healthy will be an important part of Kentucky’s early-season development.
Rebounding and defense
Kentucky must also improve its rebounding and defense after struggling in both areas last season. The Wildcats sometimes failed to secure defensive rebounds and allowed opponents to find too many easy scoring opportunities.
Improved shooting could help Kentucky win games, but the Wildcats will need to show more physicality on the glass and greater consistency defensively if they hope to make a deep postseason run.
Little Rock players to watch
- Tyrese Lacey, guard: The 5-foot-9 junior from Birmingham, England, brings collegiate experience after playing at Daytona State College.
- Jalen Lyn, guard: The 6-foot-4 junior from Queens, New York, adds size and experience to the backcourt after playing at the College of Southern Idaho.
- Aaron Clark, guard: The 6-foot-5 redshirt junior has experience at Wake Forest and Pepperdine and could be an important perimeter contributor.
- Papa Amadou Kante, forward: The 6-foot-10 redshirt junior from Dakar, Senegal, gives the Trojans size in the frontcourt after previously playing at Pittsburgh.
- Roee Oselka, forward: The 6-foot-10 junior adds another option up front after stops at Green Bay and Howard College in Texas.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Little Rock Trojans
- Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
- Date: Friday, October 16
- Time: 7:00 PM ET
- TV Channel: SEC Network+
- Online Stream:Watch ESPN and the ESPN app
- Radio:UK Sports Network
- Rosters: UK | LR
What will you be watching for Friday night? Send us your thoughts in the comments section!