Buzz Williams calls Kentucky offense the 'prettiest in the country'

Kentucky will host No. 10 Texas A&M on Tuesday and when it does it’ll present one of the unique challenges in the country. Stopping the Wildcats offensively has been very, very difficult.

Mark Pope‘s bunch is scoring 89.2 points per game and ranks third nationally in offensive efficiency rating, according to KenPom.com. Asked what will be challenging, Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams wasn’t putting anything into a neat little box.

“Everything,” he said. “Really have enjoyed studying them. For sure the prettiest offense in the country. Analytically they’re the third-best offense. But just how they play, very unique. Dissimilar to any team in the SEC in the time that we’ve been here.”

That will obviously create some headaches. So too will Kentucky’s balance.

The Wildcats feature five double-figure scorers, led by four guards. Otega Oweh leads the way with 15.6 points per game, but Lamont Butler averages 13.9, Jaxson Robinson 12.6 and Koby Brea 11.7. Forward Andrew Carr averages 11.3 and sometimes moves like a much smaller player.

“Easy to see why coach has had such success and has such notoriety relative to his offense,” Williams said of Kentucky. “Really, really have enjoyed studying. I don’t know that we know how to slow it down or stop it. Not many teams have had much success with that. They’re not only talented and skilled, that’s easy to figure out. But their style of play is very distinct and you have to make a lot of decisions just on how you’re going to try to slow them down. Yeah, it’s been really good.”

While matching Kentucky on the defensive end will be paramount, Texas A&M is also going to have to score some to keep up. That’s just the nature of the beast when playing the Wildcats.

To that end, guard Zhuric Phelps (15.4 PPG) needs to have a big night with Wade Taylor IV ruled out for the contest.

Williams is pleased with his team’s preparation for Kentucky, though.

“Our guys have been tremendous,” he said. “The staff has been studying long before I got to it Saturday night. But yeah, we’ve had a lot of work to do on a quick turnaround and still have some more to do. I’ve really enjoyed studying them.”