BOX SCORE: Kentucky separated from Minnesota State with two-point efficiency

Kentucky will play a pace-and-space style of basketball under new head coach Mark Pope. That means a lot of three-point volume. That three-point volume will help the Wildcats win the math battle nearly every time on the floor and will become a big part of this program’s identity. But that high outside shooting volume will help open up other areas of the floot.

The design of the offense is to get defenses stretched to open driving lanes and paint shot attempts. Those interior points allowed Kentucky to turn a close game against Minnesota State into a blowout.

The Big Blue separated from the Mavericks in a 98-67 win on field goal attempts inside the arc. The three-point battle (39-33) and free throw battles (11-6) only gave the big SEC favorite a combined plus-seven advantage. Where Kentucky separated was on two-point shots.

Pope’s team finished the game with 48 points on 24-of-32 shooting from two with 46 of those points coming in the paint. The Wildcats only needed true mid-range to give them two points. Kentucky was 20-of-24 on shots at the rim getting 40 points on dunks and lay-ups. Minnesota State’s defense was hammered at the rim, and the loudest bucket of the night came from Oklahoma State transfer Brandon Garrison.

Picture perfect 📸 https://t.co/c2nmRvnPfQ pic.twitter.com/RchljDssWl

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 30, 2024

Facing a bigger Kentucky team, the visitors shot 14-of-36 (38.9%) from two-point range with 26 points in the paint and 9-of-15 shooting at the rim. Getting points inside the arc was a challenge, and that is ultimately where this game was lost.

We have not seen a team truly expose Kentucky’s weaknesses yet, but that will come sooner rather than later. However, we have seen what this offensive scheme can accomplish. Kentucky will launch a high volume of field goal attempts from deep, but there is a method to the madness. That spacing and pace will open up some easy two-point opportunities, and quietly, this will be an area where UK can occasionally distance itself from foes.

The Wildcats won’t need 15-plus three-point field goals every night to score more than one point per possession due to the balance of the offensive design.

Kentucky vs. Minnesota State Box Score

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