Yes, it\u2019s just an exhibition game. No, we\u2019re not going to get ahead of ourselves. Yes, we are going to acknowledge what an absolute demolition that was \u2014 and just how fun it was to watch. What started as a 60-24 lead at halftime closed out as a 123-52 win for Kentucky over Kentucky Wesleyan, more than doubling up the Panthers in Mark Pope\u2019s coaching debut in Lexington.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t a sell-out \u2014 exhibitions never are \u2014 but the energy inside Rupp Arena was on a different planet to begin a new era of UK basketball. And the product certainly delivered, the Wildcats shooting out of their minds to the tune of 63.2 percent overall and 50 percent from three while holding the opposition to 32.8 percent overall and 14.8 percent from deep. It was the beatdown of all beatdowns from start to finish, as pretty an end-to-end effort you could dream up.<\/p>\n
How did it all come together? KSR\u2019s got your takeaways from Rupp.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s get the not-so-great stuff out of the way so we can celebrate the good. After being held out of the Blue-White Preseason Event with a tweaked hamstring, Kerr Kriisa was declared out ahead of tipoff in the exhibition despite being the first player out for pregame warmups and looking like someone ready to get going when the real stuff starts. A sweaty mess when he left the floor after running and getting shots up, he later came back out in sweats and slides, sitting out of precaution once again. <\/p>\n
And you\u2019d prefer it that way seeing how things unfolded, right? No reason to risk injury in a 71-point molly-whopping that doesn\u2019t count at the end of the day. Winning by 100 points would have been a little excessive anyway.<\/p>\n
As long as he\u2019s ready by the start of the regular season, the West Virginia transfer is good to rest up in my book.<\/p>\n
Kriisa\u2019s absence was quite literally the only downside to Coach Pope\u2019s debut because every single person <\/em>who suited up for the Cats played well. Hell, even Walker Horn got after it with an assist and a steal in two minutes.<\/p>\n I mean, just go down the list. Every scholarship player scored for Kentucky on Wednesday with eight finishing in double figures. Nobody played more than 25 minutes, but all 11 got at least nine with 10 going for 15-plus. That balanced effort got 48 total makes split between the entire squad, eight guys going for at least four buckets apiece, but everyone staying below that 20-point barrier \u2014 can\u2019t let those egos get too <\/em>big.<\/p>\n The leading scorer? Yeah, that\u2019s not gonna surprise you. Jaxson Robinson went for a game-high 19 points on 7-12 shooting and 5-9 from three to go with three rebounds in 23 minutes. He\u2019s a silent assassin who carries himself like a pro, just like Antonio Reeves did a year ago. It\u2019s fair to expect a similar season out of the BYU transfer.<\/p>\n That statistic was all 10<\/em> players have scored for Kentucky until Harlan County\u2019s finest finally entered the game in the second half. Then he came in and banged four straight threes, caving the Rupp Arena roof in after launching shot after shot after shot and hitting his final quartet of attempts to end the game.<\/p>\n Conveniently enough, his last three came immediately after a UK fan wearing a Harlan County Black Bears t-shirt was going crazy on the jumbotron. I wish we could have seen that guy after <\/em>his fourth make.<\/p>\n Just think of how ridiculous that is, though. You\u2019ve got 10 capable players making shots and playing defense in a blowout, then your ELEVENTH <\/em>guy comes in and adds a quick 12 points on 4-5 shooting to go with two assists and one rebounds in nine minutes. No big deal.<\/p>\n But hey, the 606 doesn\u2019t mess around.<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t the leading scorer, but Butler made the biggest two-way impact to set the tone in the 71-point win. 11 points on 5-8 shooting is solid, but can we talk about his six rebounds, six assists, six steals and two blocks with zero turnovers?<\/p>\n That\u2019s PG1, an absolute terror on defense who runs the show and controls the pace as the primary ball handler while also attacking the glass like a forward or big \u2014 not a 6-2 point guard. Pope raved about him after the game, pointing out that he had more steals than than the whole team had turnovers (five). <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen that,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s a really special player. I\u2019ve never coached a guy like him from a defensive standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n His teammates said before the game they were sick and tired of going against him in practice and were ready to watch opposing teams suffer. Kentucky Wesleyan was undoubtedly the first of many victims to come.<\/p>\n How about a little Madisonville reunion? First it was Drew Franklin, then walk-on Zach Tow joining the squad this offseason. Up next? None other than two-time All-SEC member Travis Ford, who was the honorary \u2018Y\u2019 inside Rupp Arena in the second half.<\/p>\n \u201cTravis was at shootaround. He was my mentor during my first year here. I redshirted because I transferred and Trav was here, and man, he was a feisty \u2014 like, he was just a baller<\/em>,\u201d Pope said after the game. \u201cWhat a tough \u2014 he was incredible and I learned so much from him about the game of basketball in just one year. Ill always be grateful for Travis Ford.\u201d<\/p>\nTrent Noah gets the pop of the night<\/h2>\n
Lamont Butler is a defensive menace<\/h2>\n
Travis Ford was the \u2018Y\u2019<\/h2>\n