Kentucky men’s basketball opened its exhibition slate with a 69-49 win over Arkansas Little Rock on Friday night, offering plenty to break down as it prepares for the upcoming season.
Individual Statline:
Zoom Diallo: 7 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 3-7 FG, 1-2 3PT
Alex Wilkins: 11 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 4-12 FG, 2-8 3PT
Ousmane N’Diaye: 5 pts, 2 reb, 2-7 FG, 1-3 3PT
Milan Momcilovic: 16 pts, 7 reb, 5-9 FG, 4-7 3PT
Malachi Moreno: 6 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 3-4 FG
Braydon Hawthorne: 7 pts, 1 reb, 2-6 FG, 1-3 3PT
Mason Williams: 10 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 4-5 FG, 1-1 3PT
Franck Kepnang: 3 reb, 0-1 FG
Justin McBride: 7 pts, 5 reb, 2-6 FG, 2-4 3PT
As an overall assessment, Kentucky played pretty sloppy basketball, but there were still some positives to take from it. Obviously, it’s not just an exhibition game, but it’s the group’s first exhibition game. As a team, the Wildcats coughed up 19 turnovers, which was four more than Little Rock’s, and I think that was the biggest flaw on the night.
There were some periods of time where the team looked discombobulated and out of rhythm, mostly when Little Rock head coach and former Wildcat Travis Ford sent a full-court press. Head coach Mark Pope rolled out a starting lineup of Diallo, Wilkins, Momcilovic, N’Diaye, and Moreno; the group played a ton of minutes together, even staying in past the under-16 media timeout, and opened the second half together.
Last season, Pope seemed to rotate the lineup consistently, pulling guys in and out. This was different from what we’ve seen. Diallo is fast, and I mean really fast. He seemed to command the offense well at first but gradually declined as the game went on, surrendering three turnovers. Wilkins showed strong bursts and shifty moments; however, he struggled from three. I still stand by my statement that he may pan out to be one of the best pickups for Pope this offseason, obviously excluding Momcilovic, who looked the best out of the bunch.
Moving to Momcilovic, we already knew this on paper, but the Iowa State transfer is really not afraid to shoot, no matter who’s around or how much space he has. He caught fire in the second half and really displayed that he has the real deal in terms of 3-point shooting; his finger injury looked non-existent.
N’Diaye was heavily involved in play early on, but he slowly became less involved as the game went on. In his first American basketball game, though, I would say he seemed comfortable, more comfortable than a lot of people, including myself, were expecting. As for Moreno, he had four turnovers, which definitely need to be cleaned up, especially if he wants to lead this team like many are expecting him to; however, he didn’t skip a beat on the glass, and he even racked up three blocks, looking strong and poised for a good portion of the game.
Moving to the bench, I would argue that the biggest standout was Williams, just because he reached double digits, finished some tough layups, and had three steals. We didn’t know what he was really capable of; we just heard praise from his teammates, and tonight, I would say that he can be a strong backup option for Diallo, especially if Jerone Morton’s injury turns out to be long-term. You could argue that McBride and Hawthorne were the standout bench guys too; both were involved and seemingly trying to prove that they should get solid minutes come the regular season.
They each contributed seven points. Franck Kepnang didn’t score, but when he played, his presence was felt. He is a large human being and extremely physical, which should benefit the Cats, more so when SEC play rolls in. Kepnang also registered a block. Overall, the Wildcats shot 25-57 (43.9%) from the field and had a solid 3-point shooting night as well, ripping a collective 42.9% (12-28).
Was it good? No, but for a group that has a ton of new faces, I would say that we saw enough positives to be optimistic. Kentucky’s next exhibition contest is set for Friday, Oct. 23, when it hosts Texas Tech inside Rupp Arena. Tipoff for that game is set for 7 p.m. ET and can be viewed on SEC Network +.
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