After taking a week off from watching their favorite team play, the Big Blue Nation was eager to see Pope’s Cats in action once again. Many people, including myself, wondered if Kentucky would come out slow expecting to run over a sub-100 KenPom team. Just the opposite happened in Rupp Arena though. Getting to an early 10-4 lead, Otega Oweh shined on both ends of the court including a three pointer and multiple deflections before the first media timeout. The flood gates opened as Kentucky took a 17-point lead to halftime and never looked back. The Cats eventually got the lead to forty before settling in on a feel-good 29-point victory.
Jaxson Robinson led all scorers with twenty points. The BYU transfer had struggled offensively early on, especially in the Duke game, but tonight he reminded everyone Pope made it his mission to bring Jaxson with him from Provo. He was elite in ball screen action weaving between defenders and keeping his man on his back as he patiently carved up the defense. He also cashed three of the team’s twelve makes from behind the arc, tying the team high with Lamont Butler and Koby Brea. Including those three, Oweh (14 points on 5-6 shooting) and Koby Brea (12 points on 3-3 from 3PT) rounded out the five double digit scorers for Kentucky. Once again Amari Williams led things in the rebounding category with eleven, but Jaxson Robinson and Koby Brea both added seven boards from the perimeter. Kentucky held a fifteen-rebound advantage over the Bisons tonight, which was achieved by an emphasis on guards rebounding the ball.
On defense the Cats looked maybe the best they have all season. Lamont Butler deserves some recognition for the tone he set to start this game. He immediately got involved with an early steal and two deflections that were close to being additional Lipscomb turnovers. He played a little bit of hero-ball against Duke, but Mark Pope’s steady leader was back to his normal self admitting ball pressure to the opponent guards all night. The entire team deserves a shoutout for the effort and focus they showed on defense all night. Especially on inbounds plays and called sets, Kentucky defenders often fought through screens and movement to keep their defender from being an option, throwing the rhythm of the Lipscomb offense off from the jump. The Bisons were held to a measly 38.8% from the field and 5-29 from three, and Kentucky only gave up 26 points in the first half.
The Cats once again took care of business against an opponent they should have. Through four games, this team has shown the ability to score at unstoppable rates as well as defend opposing offenses. All signs are pointing towards this team continuing to grow and succeed as the season progresses, and any team who can shoot and defend has a vote of confidence from me. The Cats will take on Jackson State in Rupp Arena this Friday at 7PM, so get out and support these guys as they look to continue building on a great start to the season.
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