Kentucky basketball got their exhibition slate underway on Friday when they welcomed former Wildcat Travis Ford and the Little Rock Trojans to Rupp Arena. After Big Blue Madness and Pro Day, fans were eager to get a full glimpse at this year's Kentucky squad against another opponent.
The Wildcats took down Little Rock in their first of three exhibition games, 69-49. After a slow start for both teams, Kentucky was able to take a 30-19 halftime lead after a 13-0 run during the half helped them get there. The Wildcats struggled offensively in the opening half with seven turnovers and just 3-11 from three, but they cleaned that up in the second, finishing 12-28 from three. That and their impressive length on defense helped them pull away. Milan Momcilovic led the way with 16 points on 4-7 shooting from three. Here are two takeaways from Kentucky's first exhibition on Friday.
Length showed itself on defense
This was very evident in the first half and remained throughout the game. Kentucky entered halftime forcing seven turnovers and grabbing five blocks and four steals. Their length was a huge part of their defensive success in those areas as well as holding the Trojans to just 1-11 on threes in the first half. The Wildcats finished the game with eight blocks, nine steals, and held Little Rock to just 2-20 from deep. Mark Pope may have been right when he said his team's length will help them find success on defense.
Kentucky's execution problems are not cause for concern
When Kentucky's offense is moving the ball around and Zoom Diallo is opening up the floor around him by attacking the rim, they find success on that end of the floor. But, they had problems with execution, spacing, and ball security at times as turnovers hurt them throughout the game, finishing with 19. Kentucky never found itself consistently on offense until late in the second half, but that doesn't scream concerning considering that should work itself out as the team gets familiar to playing other teams. That may sound like coach-speak, but it's worth noting after a team plays their first exhibition. Aside from a pure execution side, the Wildcats had some beautiful possessions on offense and their speed and ball movement can be real strengths and that will help open up the shooting and be dangerous in transition. Keep in mind, Kentucky did go 8-15 from three in the second half and had more consistent spurts of impressive play on offense.
It may not have been the prettiest win overall, but the weaknesses surrounding offensive execution can surely get cleaned up as the Wildcats go through their exhibition slate, because there were plenty of great moments to build on. Up next, Kentucky will take on a power four opponent next Friday when Texas Tech makes their way to Lexington for an exhibition matchup, who is likely going to come into the season as a top 10 team.
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