QUICK TAKES: UK 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor
@JDrumUK
The Kentucky bench watched as point guard Lamont Butler set up a play from the left wing during Tuesday's exhibition game against Minnesota State Mankato at Rupp Arena. (Photo by Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
JEFF DRUMMOND:
I think Mark Pope got what exactly he wanted out of this second and final exhibition tune-up for the season. The Wildcats were pushed a little bit early in the game but responded in a big way with a 21-3 run to close out the first half. Once that ball got rolling downhill, the defending Division II national champs could not do anything to stop it. Jaxson Robinson looks like he's on the verge of becoming a national household name in college hoops. He's now a blazing 13-of-21 from 3-point range after going 8-of-12 for a team-high 24 points tonight. Lamont Butler and Otega Oweh were dynamite on both ends of the floor, particularly on defense where they show real potential to be headaches for opponents this season. There's not much to nitpick tonight. One has to hope Amari Williams is healthy after leaving with an apparent knee injury in the first half. It does not look serious, but we'll have to await word from Pope on that. I'm also wondering what UK will look like against opponents who can really crush the glass as both of the smaller exhibition opponents hung close to the Cats in the rebound column.
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
Kentucky had to sweat a little more in the first half and that's not a bad thing, but we still have to remember that you can't take much from exhibition season. Yes, we're learning about a bunch of Kentucky players that we didn't know much about before, save for highlights and what we read. The rim was tight early but Jaxson Robinson caught fire and that opened the floodgates. A lot of guys had moments tonight. Andrew Carr was difficult for Minnesota State to handle down low. The Cats forced a lot of turnovers and got a good number of points off turnovers. The threes were not falling for most of Kentucky's players in quite the same way they were in the first exhibition but they kept shooting. The realistic hope should be the defense is good enough to keep them hanging around even if they aren't hot on the other end. All in all, a promising exhibition season for Kentucky but history tells us that we still don't know much. UK had a ton of assists and it wasn't one or two guys, it was a lot of guys sharing the ball well and that happened in both games. It appears to be an unselfish team that's committed to doing what it does offensively and plays hard on defense.
TRAVIS GRAF:
Kentucky had a tough start, but I was interested to see how this team responded. They answered the bell and went on a huge run to end the half with a big lead. It was sloppy at times, and there was both good and bad, but as always can’t get too high or too low off of an exhibition. It was nice to see Kentucky throw different looks out there defensively, play guys with two fouls, and go small ball at times. There was a lot to like, and I thought Brandon Garrison opened some eyes with an opportunity of extended minutes. The biggest questions I have currently are rim protection, rebounding, and who carries the weight of the offense if Jaxson Robinson has an off shooting night.
kentucky.rivals.com
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor
@JDrumUK
The Kentucky bench watched as point guard Lamont Butler set up a play from the left wing during Tuesday's exhibition game against Minnesota State Mankato at Rupp Arena. (Photo by Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 98-67 win over Minnesota State Mankato on Tuesday night at Rupp Arena in the Wildcats' final exhibition tuneup for the 2024-25 season...
JEFF DRUMMOND:
I think Mark Pope got what exactly he wanted out of this second and final exhibition tune-up for the season. The Wildcats were pushed a little bit early in the game but responded in a big way with a 21-3 run to close out the first half. Once that ball got rolling downhill, the defending Division II national champs could not do anything to stop it. Jaxson Robinson looks like he's on the verge of becoming a national household name in college hoops. He's now a blazing 13-of-21 from 3-point range after going 8-of-12 for a team-high 24 points tonight. Lamont Butler and Otega Oweh were dynamite on both ends of the floor, particularly on defense where they show real potential to be headaches for opponents this season. There's not much to nitpick tonight. One has to hope Amari Williams is healthy after leaving with an apparent knee injury in the first half. It does not look serious, but we'll have to await word from Pope on that. I'm also wondering what UK will look like against opponents who can really crush the glass as both of the smaller exhibition opponents hung close to the Cats in the rebound column.
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
Kentucky had to sweat a little more in the first half and that's not a bad thing, but we still have to remember that you can't take much from exhibition season. Yes, we're learning about a bunch of Kentucky players that we didn't know much about before, save for highlights and what we read. The rim was tight early but Jaxson Robinson caught fire and that opened the floodgates. A lot of guys had moments tonight. Andrew Carr was difficult for Minnesota State to handle down low. The Cats forced a lot of turnovers and got a good number of points off turnovers. The threes were not falling for most of Kentucky's players in quite the same way they were in the first exhibition but they kept shooting. The realistic hope should be the defense is good enough to keep them hanging around even if they aren't hot on the other end. All in all, a promising exhibition season for Kentucky but history tells us that we still don't know much. UK had a ton of assists and it wasn't one or two guys, it was a lot of guys sharing the ball well and that happened in both games. It appears to be an unselfish team that's committed to doing what it does offensively and plays hard on defense.
TRAVIS GRAF:
Kentucky had a tough start, but I was interested to see how this team responded. They answered the bell and went on a huge run to end the half with a big lead. It was sloppy at times, and there was both good and bad, but as always can’t get too high or too low off of an exhibition. It was nice to see Kentucky throw different looks out there defensively, play guys with two fouls, and go small ball at times. There was a lot to like, and I thought Brandon Garrison opened some eyes with an opportunity of extended minutes. The biggest questions I have currently are rim protection, rebounding, and who carries the weight of the offense if Jaxson Robinson has an off shooting night.
QUICK TAKES: UK 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
First impressions from the Cats' second exhibition game.
