WKU will be Kentucky's toughest BBN Invitational opponent: 'Similar in a way to Duke.'

The third and final game of the BBN Invitational will pit a pair of Bluegrass schools against each other. Kentucky will host Western Kentucky on Tuesday night (6:30 p.m. EST on ESPNU) to cap off the early-season event. The Wildcats have cruised through the first two games, beating Lipscomb 97-68 and then Jackson State 108-59.

But WKU figures to be the toughest challenge yet.

The Hilltoppers also beat Lipscomb (66-61) and Jackson State (88-69) in the BBN Invitational, so UK head coach Mark Pope will have some common opponent film to lean on as he prepares his squad. Western Kentucky comes to Rupp Arena with a 3-2 record this season, having lost its first two games to Wichita State and Grand Canyon — both ranked among the KenPom Top 100. WKU checks in at No. 127 in KenPom, which is actually the highest of any opponent Kentucky has played so far this season outside of Duke (No. 4).

Speaking of the Blue Devils, Western Kentucky will present a challenge that Kentucky hasn’t faced since beating Duke back on Nov. 12. The Hilltoppers have a strong defense, much better than the previous non-Duke competition UK has seen this season. They obviously aren’t as talented as Duke, but WKU will bring something different for the Wildcats, which is exactly what they want as the season continues to roll along.

“They’re a pretty good defensive team from what we’ve seen. They change up their defenses a lot, they got a lot of aggressive defenders,” Kentucky fifth-year guard Koby Brea said of WKU on Monday. “So I think it’ll be something new for us. Kinda similar in a way to Duke a little bit. So I think it’ll be a good challenge for us.

“And they got some guys who are able to put the ball down and get a bucket. That’s also another challenge for us, just one-on-one defense and all of that. I think it’s a good opportunity for us. Keep growing and keep seeing different styles of basketball before conference (play) comes up.”

Defense is certainly a strength for Hank Plona’s first WKU team. Opposing teams haven’t shot the ball all that well against the Hilltoppers’ defense, particularly from deep (just 31.3 percent). Western Kentucky is good at finishing off defensive possessions with rebounds and keeping the opponent off the offensive glass. Their 9.6 steals per game ranks among the Top 50 in the nation.

On offense, WKU plays fast and wants to fire up shots from deep. Four different players average more than 11 points per outing, three of them shooting at least 4.4 three-pointers per contest. As a team, the Hilltoppers squeeze off over 26 shots from deep per game. They’re on par with Kentucky in terms of pace with an average time of possession lasting under 15 seconds.

“Seems like they play super fast and aggressive,” Kentucky fifth-year forward Andrew Carr said. “They played the two teams that we already played before. Won both of those games. They’re definitely a talented team and are gonna come in here and give us their best shot. We’re excited.”

Kentucky will spend some time on Monday looking at WKU’s other games from the BBN Invitational. The players and coaches will see if they can exploit similar areas of weakness that the other teams did. But having common opponents can only help so much. Carr says it’s about individual matchups more than anything else that happened in other games.

In that sense, the Wildcats will have an overwhelming advantage. Kentucky is going to have more depth and more talent than WKU. KenPom gives the ‘Cats a 96 percent chance to win for a good reason. But the Hilltoppers will at least pose a different kind of challenge than what the rest of the non-Duke teams were able to. That’s what any good team needs at this stage in the season.

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