KSR Today: Kentucky Tuned Up for Duke with 100-Point Performances
It was a sensational Saturday to be a Kentucky Wildcat at Rupp Arena. After opening the season with a 41-point win, the Cats cruised to a 100-72 victory over Bucknell, setting the table for a high-stakes affair in Atlanta on Tuesday night against the Duke Blue Devils.
It’s difficult to define the victory by any one thing. If I had to use one word, satisfactory seems to fit the billing. This performance wasn’t always pretty — 15 turnovers on the night — but they play a brand of basketball that’s so enjoyable to watch. Even singling out the exceptional performances doesn’t truly encapsulate how fun it is to watch these Wildcats make extra passes for wide-open shots.
Speaking of exceptional performances, Amari Williams had another double-double. With 13 points and 14 rebounds, he joins Dan Issel, Julius Randle, and Oscar Tschiebwe as the only Wildcats to start a season with at least 13 rebounds. Speaking of rebounds, let’s dive deeper into that.
Pope Pleased with Response from Kentucky
Kentucky has rolled the first three times it took the court, but one thing was eating at Mark Pope. The 6-foot-10 former power forward was not happy with the way the Wildcats rebounded the basketball. He demanded more from his players and they answered the call with 57 rebounds. Kentucky turned 22 offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points.
“For these guys to respond to a challenge — we’ve been kind of sitting on this for maybe 10 days, like, ah, we’re just not getting where we need to get on the glass — and for these guys to come and almost put up 60 rebounds today is incredibly gratifying as a coach,” Pope said after the game. “It’s a really important step for us as a team.”
A Certifiable Kentucky Flamethrower
Koby Brea was billed as the best shooter in college basketball. Not gonna lie, I was worried the bar was set too high. I was wrong. In the midst of a so-so shooting night from his teammates, Brea lit up Rupp by knocking down 6-8 three-pointers. The Dayton transfer is now 10-12 from three-point range this year. Nutty.
“Koby was ridiculous again tonight,” Pope said Saturday night. “I told you guys all summer he’s the most efficient player in college basketball. He’s a 1.82 points per possession. If you don’t know analytics, that’s sick. That’s crazy. To be a 1.82? It’s pretty fun. He’s just like a maestro. He’s having fun right now and I’m really proud of Koby.”
Kerr Kriisa is Talking That Talk
Kerr Kriisa was dishing out assists left and right, tallying 12 off the bench in only 21 minutes on the floor. He brought his best stuff with his mother visiting him from Estonia. The notorious trash-talker is also preparing to bring his best trash-talk to Tuesday’s game against Duke.
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Sunday Morning Kentucky Basketball Links
You probably had plans Saturday night and missed all of our excellent postgame coverage. Don’t worry for one second. Here’s everything you need to catch up.
10 Things We Learned from the Win over Bucknell
Mark Pope Challenged the Kentucky Bigs to Shut Down Noah Williamson
RECAP: Kentucky Starts 2-0
Koby Brea is the Most Efficient Player in College Basketball
Kentucky Responded to Mark Pope’s Rebounding Challenge
Mark Pope Postgame Press Conference
Kerr Kriisa, Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea Talk About the UK Win
Everything Mark Pope said after the Kentucky Win
BOX SCORE: Kentucky Basketball History
HIGHLIGHTS: Did you see that dish?
Kentucky Volleyball in Action at Home
Craig Skinner’s squad is on a heater at Historic Memorial Coliseum. Since the Wildcats were swept by Texas on Oct. 13, the Kentucky volleyball team has won six straight matches. They’ve only lost one set during this stretch, most recently taking down Texas A&M in three sets on Friday night. They’ll try to keep this momentum rolling at home against LSU this afternoon at 4:30 pm EST.
GOT EM!
The college football world continued to spin without the Kentucky Wildcats in action. Indiana held off Michigan for its first 10-0 record in school history. Colorado controls its own CFB Playoff destiny after a win at Texas Tech. Jalen Milroe rushed for four touchdowns as the tide rolled LSU in the rain. BYU made an incredible fourth-quarter comeback in the Holy War to remain undefeated. Ole Miss fans rushed the field after dominating Georgia, but it wasn’t the wildest thing that happened on Saturday.
Will Levis Back in the Starting Lineup
The former Kentucky quarterback missed almost a month of action with a sprained AC joint. After watching the Titans fall to the Patriots in overtime, Will Levis will return to the starting role for Tennessee at SoFi Stadium.
“Will had a really good week of practice,” head coach Brian Callahan said on Friday. “He felt really good. It’s the best he’s looked in a couple of weeks, so we’re excited to see him go forward.”
Sunday Slate
| Game | Time | TV |
| Giants (-6.5) vs. Carolina | 9:30 am | NFL |
| Patriots (+6.5) at Bears | 1:00 | Fox |
| Bills (-4.5) at Colts | 1:00 | CBS |
| Vikings (-7.5) at Jaguars | 1:00 | Fox |
| Broncos (+8.5) at Chiefs | 1:00 | CBS |
| Falcons (-3.5) at Saints | 1:00 | Fox |
| 49ers (-6.5) at Bucs | 1:00 | Fox |
| Steelers (+2.5) at Commanders | 1:00 | Fox |
| Titans (+7.5) at Chargers | 4:05 | Fox |
| Jets (-1.5) at Cardinals | 4:25 | CBS |
| Eagles (-7.5) at Cowboys | 4:25 | CBS |
| Lions (-3.5) at Texans | 8:20 | NBC |
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