Andrew Carr's goal vs. WKU was to demand the ball: 'When he's going, that's when we're at our best.'

The Kentucky coaches challenged Andrew Carr ahead of the Wildcats’ Tuesday night tilt against Western Kentucky. The challenge? Demand the basketball, even if just once. Even if he has to yell at his teammates to make it happen.

Whatever it takes to get some more touches.

“I thought his focus was unbelievable tonight,” Head coach Mark Pope said of Carr postgame. “Our guys have a goal, one specific goal every time we walk into practice. Our assistant coaches, our staff, does an unbelievable job of giving our guys one very specific goal. And so Andrew Carr’s goal yesterday was to demand a catch, even to the point of yelling and screaming at his teammates just one time to earn a catch. That was his goal yesterday.”

Carr accepted the challenge and more than achieved the goal set by Pope. He finished with his first double-double of the season in Kentucky’s 87-68 win over WKU. His 18 points and 10 rebounds were both season-highs. When the three-ball wasn’t falling for Kentucky, Carr took control inside. He went 6-8 from the field and 6-8 from the free throw line in his 29 minutes of action. The Wake Forest transfer dished out three assists without a single turnover.

Mark Pope talks Andrew Carr’s big night against WKU.

The Wake Forest transfer had 18 points (6-8 FG), 10 rebounds, three assists, and one block in 29 minutes. pic.twitter.com/YLHLBz9D5Q

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) November 27, 2024

“There aren’t a lot of people that have a 6-11, 230-pound four-man in today’s game,” WKU head coach Hank Plona said of Carr. “I don’t know what mistakes he makes.”

The answer would be not many. Not against WKU and not against most opponents all season. Carr is averaging a career-low in turnovers at under one per game. He’s been incredibly efficient to start the season. His scoring consistency hasn’t always been there, but just like he did in UK’s previous win over Duke, he stepped up when his team needed him the most.

“When he’s going, that’s when we’re at our best,” Junior guard Otega Oweh added.

Pope wanting Carr to demand the ball more doesn’t directly mean he has to score more though. That’s just a byproduct of what the WKU defense was showing him. More touches for Carr can lead to a more spread-out offense. He took full advantage of all of it.

“I think the reason why it would be a focus is the team needs it,” Carr said of him having to demand the ball. “The threat that I can bring to create plays — it doesn’t necessarily have to be from me scoring. For me demanding the ball, it gets someone else an open shot. If I’m here demanding the ball in the post, then because I’m yelling for it someone has to help and it leaves the corner wide-open or something like that happens. It helps the team flow a little bit better.”

Carr might not be Kentucky’s most talented overall player, but he continues to play like arguably the most important. He’s up to averages of 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per outing while shooting 63.9 percent overall from the field through six games as a Wildcat. He was necessary to UK’s success on Tuesday night.

“Andrew Carr, I thought was great in every facet of the game tonight,” Pope added. “I thought Andrew was just a star on all sides of the ball.”

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