KSR Today: The Morning After a 71-Point Kentucky Win
It was just an exhibition game. It was just an exhibition game. It was just an exhibition game.
It doesn’t matter how many times you say it, watching the first 40 minutes of the Mark Pope era at Kentucky rocked. The Wildcats blitzed Kentucky Wesleyan, knocking down 21 of 42 three-pointers to run away with a wonderfully entertaining 123-52 victory at Rupp Arena.
The 71-point win is the largest margin of victory in any game since the Wildcats tipped off the 2016 season with a 93-point win over Asbury. It’s the third-largest margin of victory in a Kentucky basketball exhibition.
Multiple players had moments to get Kentucky fans fired up. Jaxson Robinson knocked down three trey-balls in the first half, while Otega Oweh consistently attacked the rim. Ansley Almonor and Trent Noah got hot in the second half. Two players who have widely been considered an afterthought by most Kentucky fans, combined to make 9 of 12 three-pointers. You can’t look at the box score without getting a smile on your face.
The First Kentucky Starting Five
One thing the exhibition ended was speculation over who would be the first on the floor for Mark Pope. Koby Brea was a big portal/NIL win, so many assumed he’d get dibs on one of those starting spots. That was not the case. The Dayton transfer was the Sixth Man who played starters’ minutes (33).
Lamont Butler: 11 pts., 5-8 FG (1-4 3PT), 6 reb., 6 ast., 6 steals, 2 blocks
Otega Oweh: 18 pts., 7-9 FG (2-2 3PT), 5 reb., 3 ast.
Jaxson Robinson: 19 pts., 7-12 FG (5-9 3PT), 3 reb.
Andrew Carr: 10 pts., 4-4 FG, 4 reb.
Amari Williams: 12 pts., 5-6 FG, 5 reb., 6 ast.
This lineup could be subject to change. Kerr Kriisa, who also missed the Blue-White Game, was sidelined once again as he deals with a nagging hamstring injury.
All the Fun from the Kentucky Win
There was a lot to like about the win, but Mark Pope is a coach. He’s going to find coachable moments. Nearly 20% of Kentucky Wesleyan’s points were second chance points.
“I felt like we were dialed in for most of the game. We had a couple of little spaces where we kind of lost ourselves,” Pope said postgame. “We were exposed on the glass a little bit with a team that really shoots a lot of balls and they end up being long rebounds and so we were exposed there a little bit where we can individually and collectively, where we can see that on film.”
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Takeaways from the 71-Point Exhibition Win
Highlights from the Kentucky Victory
Guard Your Wallet around Lamont Butler, because he steals EVERYTHING
Mark Pope’s Postgame Press Conference
Three Wildcats who stepped up in the Exhibition
Oweh, Noah, Brea Postgame Comments
Pope says it’s a “real gift” to coach freshmen
Pope wises up, takes responsibility for running out of gas
Kentucky Football Adds a Commitment
While you were watching the Wildcats role Wesleyan, Kentucky was locking up another four-star player. Mikkel Skinner, a talented tight end from South Carolina, committed to the Cats, choosing Kentucky over his home state school. He was previously committed to Cincinnati. Recruited by Vince Marrow, On3 ranks Skinner as the No. 242 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class. He shared some interesting quotes with Steve Wiltfong when he made the announcement.
“I’m the only tight end they’re recruiting in the 2025 class and they have big faith in me to come in and play early and make an big impact,” Skinner said.
Skinner loves the culture Stoops has in place around his program.
“Coach Stoops allowing a player that hit the transfer portal to still workout and hangout at Kentucky until he got his things together and until he figured out where he was gonna go because he’s still a kid and times get tough shows what type of coach he is,” Skinner said.
Lengthy Kentucky Football Injury Report
The first availability report dropped on Wednesday night and it doesn’t look great for the Wildcats. Chip Trayanum is not officially out, but it feels like the Florida game will be the exception to the norm. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye is also 50-50 for Saturday’s game against Auburn, which could seriously handicap the sluggish Kentucky offense.
It’s not just the offense dealing with injuries. Deone Walker and D’Eryk Jackson are arguably the two brightest stars on the defense, and they may be joining another defensive star, Maxwell Hairston, on the sideline.
- Jayvant Brown | LB | Out
- Maxwell Hairston | DB | Out
- Jantzen Dunn | DB | Out
- Darrion Henry-Young | DL | Out
- Gerald Mincey | OL | Out
- Josaih Hayes | DL | Out
- Tavion Gadson | DL | Out
- Chip Trayanum | RB | Doubtful
- Demie Sumo-Karngbaye | RB | Questionable
- Keeshawn Silver | DL | Questionable
- Quay’sheed Scott | DB | Questionable
- Deone Walker | DT | Probable
- DJ Waller Jr. | DB | Probable
- D’Eryk Jackson | LB | Probable
- Tre’vonn Rybka | DL | Probable
- Jacob Kauwe | K | Probable
Thursday Night Football
You have to wait another day for the highly-anticipated World Series, but we do have some football on the docket tonight. The Vikings are 2.5-point favorites in L.A. against the Rams. If you aren’t feeling the NFL, the ACC is delivering a matchup that has significant consequences for the final standings. Undefeated No. 16 Pitt is a 5.5-point favorite at home against a 5-1 Syracuse that can air it out. That game kicks off at 7:30 on ESPN. Georgia Southern (+1) is also in action at Old Dominion. You can watch all of the games at once inside KSBar and Grille.
All-Time Paul Finebaum Show Caller
The thing that’s great about The Paul Finebaum Show is that it can deliver an unforgettable moment at the most unexpected time. It doesn’t have to be a lunatic screaming the day after a disastrous loss. You could turn on the SEC Network and hear someone scream at their cat.
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