Kentucky can't be stopped in first game of Mark Pope era as Cats beat Wright State, 103-62

Ben Roberts, Lexington Herald-Leader on Nov 4, 2024

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mark Pope made his regular-season debut as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats on Monday night, and the points came in a hurry.

UK jumped out to a double-digit lead before the first TV timeout of the 2024-25 opener, defeating Wright State, 103-62, as the Pope era officially began with a lopsided victory in Rupp Arena.

A high-octane offense was promised for Pope’s first season in charge of his alma mater, and the No. 23-ranked Wildcats didn’t waste any time. The first points of the season came less than 10 seconds into the game, with 7-footer Amari Williams hitting 6-11 forward Andrew Carr for an alley-oop on the opening possession.

By the time Jaxson Robinson drained the first 3-pointer of the Pope era a little more than three minutes into the game, the Cats led 13-5 and every member of the starting five had already scored a bucket. Kentucky gained its first double-digit advantage before the whistle blew for the first TV timeout, and the Wildcats pretty much rolled from there.

Otega Oweh led the way with 21 points and was 8 for 9 from the field and 3 for 3 on 3-pointers. Koby Brea scored 18 points (7 for 8 from the field, 4 for 4 on 3s), Williams had a double-double (12 points and 13 rebounds), and Lamont Butler (14 points, five assists and three steals), Andrew Carr (12 points) and Ansley Almonor (11 points) reached double figures, too. Robinson had eight points in the first half and took just one shot in the second.

Williams missed nearly all of the team’s final exhibition game against Minnesota State last week, clutching his right knee and leaving the court with more than 16 minutes left in the first half. Pope termed his starting center’s status as “day to day” in the leadup to Monday night’s opener. Williams not only returned to the starting five, but he was the best player on the court in the early going — crashing the boards, driving at the rim and finding teammates for easy points.

Pope rotated his lineup throughout the game, playing 10 different Wildcats — every scholarship player except for in-state freshmen Trent Noah and Travis Perry — before the second TV timeout of the first half. (Noah and Perry entered the game with 3:30 left in the second half.)

Kentucky led 46-24 at halftime, and five Wildcats had eight points each at the break. The first UK player to reach double figures was Oweh, who hit his first 3-pointer of the season in the opening minute of the second half. Shortly after that, the Cats went on a 15-0 run, taking a 35-point lead by the end of it.

Midway through the first half, UK took its first 40-point lead of the night on Brea’s fourth 3-pointer of the game.

Kentucky shot 11 for 24 on 3-pointers and had 30 assists on 39 made baskets. The Wildcats also smothered Wright State defensively, holding the Raiders to 35.3% shooting from the field.

Wright State is coming into the 2024-25 campaign off nine consecutive winning seasons. The Raiders were one of the top offensive teams in the country last season, leading the nation in field-goal percentage and finishing ninth in 3-point percentage. They were also fourth in scoring — with 86.5 points per game, behind only Alabama, UK and Arizona — and were rated No. 33 nationally in offensive efficiency, according to the KenPom ratings.

Kentucky was a 19.5-point favorite over Wright State, and the Wildcats took their first 20-point lead with 1:48 left in the first half. They led by double digits for the final 32 minutes of the game, and the Raiders never got within 20 points in the second half.

This marked the first time that UK scored 100 points in a season opener since the 2011-12 national champion team beat Marist, 108-58, in its first game 13 years ago.

The Wildcats’ next game

Kentucky will be back in Rupp Arena on Saturday for its second game of the 2024-25 season — a 4 p.m. matchup with Bucknell that will stream live on SEC Network+. The Bison tipped off their season earlier Monday with an 85-73 win over Delaware on the road, and they’ll play Southern Indiana in Evansville on Thursday night before heading to Lexington.

Bucknell also defeated Saint Joseph’s, 88-82, in its lone exhibition game, and the Bison were picked to finish fourth in the 10- team Patriot League, according to the conference’s preseason poll. Junior center Noah Williamson — a 7-footer from Latvia — was selected for the preseason all-conference team, and he should provide a good early test for UK’s post players.