Nov 26, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) celebrates through the second half towards the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Rupp Area at Central Financial institution Heart. Obligatory Credit score: Jordan Prather-Imagn Photos Basketball in Lexington, Kentucky, appears to be like so much totally different proper now than the “Huge Blue Nation” has grown accustomed to.
No. 8 Kentucky has a model new roster, led by a model new coach. Six video games in, it hasn’t appeared to matter in any respect.
The Wildcats have are off to a 6-0 begin forward of Friday’s dwelling assembly with Georgia State. Below first-year head coach Mark Pope and a wholly revamped staff, Kentucky is off to its finest begin for the reason that 2016-17 season, when it gained its first 9 contests.
Final day trip, the Wildcats pulled away from Western Kentucky, incomes an 87-68 dwelling win on Tuesday. Otega Oweh and Andrew Carr, transfers from Oklahoma and Wake Forest, respectively, led Kentucky with 18 factors apiece within the victory. The Wildcats shot simply 40.3 p.c from the sphere, however tried 42 free throws, making 29 of them.
For Pope, it is essential for his staff to discover ways to win defensive battles.
“We weren’t functioning nice on offense, however we had been discovering pleasure on the defensive aspect of the ball,” Pope stated. “That may be a profitable method. We’ll have video games that we have now to win on protection. If we will actually discover pleasure there, and hold going again to that effectively time and again, we have now an opportunity to win a whole lot of video games.”
Kentucky’s 95.3 factors per sport rank second within the nation by means of Wednesday’s play. The Wildcats are led by Oweh’s 16.5 factors per contest, adopted by Dayton switch Koby Brea’s 14.8. Former San Diego State star Lamont Butler provides 11.7 ppg, whereas Carr and BYU switch Jaxson Robinson add 10.8 every.
“It is enjoyable to know we will win video games in several methods,” Pope added. “That is actually essential. It bodes effectively for our guys and our staff.”
Georgia State enters play on the heels of Wednesday’s 74-71 win over Tulsa within the Jacksonville Traditional. After falling to Austin Peay on Tuesday, the Panthers (4-3) salvaged their journey to Florida as Zarique Nutter transformed a three-point play with two seconds left to ice the win.
Nutter leads Georgia State with 17.2 factors per sport, and paced the Panthers with 22 on Wednesday, none extra essential than his last three.
“We had been simply making an attempt to place the ball in his palms,” Georgia State head coach Jonas Hayes stated. “We had been going to run a excessive ball display and permit him to function and make choices. … We tried to play with a whole lot of poise and we had been ready to do this on a impartial courtroom. I assumed we had sufficient togetherness to face up to runs (Tulsa) went on. We had been capable of reply and escape with the win.”
Hayes’ group will put together on quick relaxation for its hardest take a look at of the season at Kentucky. It is their second of three matchups towards Southeastern Convention groups, because the Panthers fell 101-66 at Mississippi State on Nov. 8, and can journey to No. 4 Auburn on Dec. 17.
Following Nutter, Toneari Lane provides 15.3 factors per sport, whereas Cesare Edwards chips in 11.
–Area Degree Media
