Kentucky will honor Kenny "Sky" Walker during 'incredibly competitive' Jackson State matchup

It’s a quick turnaround from Lipscomb for the Kentucky Wildcats, who are set to host Jackson State inside Rupp Arena on Friday night. The matchup is part of the BBN Invitational, which also includes the Bisons and Western Kentucky, the latter battle taking place on Tuesday to wrap up the event. The Tigers’ trip to Lexington is also the fourth installment of the Unity Series, which aims to raise awareness of the missions of the HBCUs and to raise funds to provide opportunities for students at their institutions.

What can fans expect from the SWAC competition on Friday?

“We’re expecting an incredibly competitive game,” Mark Pope said Thursday. “Every game is massive. This’ll be the biggest game we’ve played all season long and that’ll never change. We honor this game and it’s gonna be incredibly competitive — probably salty and combative and everything that we want out of basketball.”

On the surface, the Tigers are an abysmal 0-5 with losses at Houston, High Point, Xavier, Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky with the closest margin being nine points — although they did keep it at 13 against the Commodores. Out of 364 Division I programs, Jackson State enters the Kentucky matchup ranked No. 320 overall by KenPom with the No. 320 offense and No. 297 defense.

Pope isn’t expecting a pushover, though, nor will he prepare his team for one. The scores haven’t been very competitive, but the film tells a different story. The Tigers are fighting and can present a challenge inside Rupp Arena if the Wildcats allow them to make plays.

“This Jackson State team is playing really hard. I mean, they’re competing,” he said. “Last year, they were one of the better teams in the country getting to the free-throw line. They have a 13-rebound advantage on the offensive glass through their first five games. They traditionally have been a really good forcing-turnover team and they’re playing with unbelievable energy. Mo (Wiliams) has got the guys — like, they’re fighting and competing.

“They have some really terrific size, one of the biggest centers that we’ll face all season long. They had a rookie step up last night and put up huge numbers. They’ve got a roster kind of built like that, where on any given night, somebody can step up and really be great.”

They’re led by former NBA standout Mo Williams, who is now in his third season at Jackson State and fifth season as a head coach.

“He’s clearly an unbelievable ambassador to the game of basketball and unbelievable pro with a terrific career. He’s going to continue to do great things in coaching,” Pope added.

The coolest part of the matchup? It’s bringing a legendary Wildcat back to Rupp Arena in Kenny “Sky” Walker, along with another top-five draft pick and NBA standout in Purvis Short, a Jackson State legend who racked up 14,607 career points in the league.

They’ll both be honored on Friday.

“It’s part of the Unity Series, which we’re super excited about,” Pope said. “We get to honor the great Kenny “Sky” Walker and the great Purvis Short, two unbelievable graduates from Jackson State and from Kentucky who had great careers at their respective schools, then went on and had incredible NBA careers. They have been great stewards of the game.”

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside Rupp Arena, broadcast live on SEC Network+.