The 2026-27 Kentucky basketball team made their debut on Friday night in an exhibition game against the Little Rock Trojans, and walked out with a 69-49 victory. It wasn't always pretty, but they had some highlight moments, and started Mark Pope's third season off with a win.
Offensively, the Wildcats looked a bit rusty. In the first half, the shots just weren't falling, and they made a lot of mistakes. They also struggled with Little Rock's full-court press throughout the game. They played much better in the second half, but ended up with 19 turnovers and shot just 43.9% from the field. They did make 12 three-pointers.
Milan Momcilovic led the way for Kentucky with 16 points. He was 4-of-7 from three point range, showing why he was brought in. Mason Williams also impressed with 10 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
On defense, Kentucky played well. They held Little Rock to 31% shooting, and just 10% from behind the arc. That Cats also had 9 steals and 8 blocks in the game.
Afterwards, as always, fans took to social media to discuss the results. Here are some of what people had to say about Kentucky's win.
Kentucky starts with a win
Cats dub 😼 pic.twitter.com/iBe553UOZ1
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 17, 2026
Some weren't happy with Kentucky's performance
I’m actually shocked how bad Kentucky was in their exhibition. Mark Pope is heading home legit worried about his future job security bc this team might suck BAD
— Pacino (@JuiceBuffet) October 17, 2026
Problems last year inbounding the ball and more of the same. Maybe Mark Pope will set up some plays to get a player open. #BBN
— Blue Dot in Kentucky! 🌊🇺🇸🇬🇧 (@GranpaGolfer) October 17, 2026
He talks a lot about shooting threes, but the true hallmark of a mark pope offense is puzzling rotations, stagnant ball movement, and 4+ minute scoreless stretches.
— A Pirate Looking at 40 (@Chandrathan) October 16, 2026
Cats look like you expect a Mark Pope team to look
— Wandering Wildcat (@WildcatOutcast) October 16, 2026
Praise or Milan Momcilovic
Milan Momcilovic is really a Kentucky Wildcat. Wow
— Kentucky Update (@ky__update) October 17, 2026
Milan Momcilovic is up to four threes tonight. At this point the rim needs a timeout more than Little Rock does. Fifteen minutes ago I was stressing about turnovers, now I'm planning his jersey retirement.
— Travis (@Travis_2470) October 17, 2026
Mason Williams was very good
Mason Williams is ready. He was better than Zoom tonight. IMO
— Kentucky Sports Talk (@KentuckyZone) October 17, 2026
Mason Williams looks nice though
— Rare Rookies (@rarerookies) October 17, 2026
Overall, a Kentucky win is a good thing
The most over reaction I’ve ever seen y’all chill #BBN
— Jordan Coleman (@JordansTrueBlue) October 17, 2026
Kentucky fans already in doom mode on here after the FIRST exhibition game in which they won by twenty points!
— Everything College Basketball (@ecbpodcast10) October 17, 2026
It was sloppy at times sure, but to freak out is comical
Am I the only one who thinks kentucky basketball looks good? They have hustle
— Kristina (@whodatkpat) October 17, 2026
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Best social media reactions to Kentucky win over Little Rock