What a season opener it was for the Kentucky Wildcats on Monday night.

With a 41-point margin of victory, which coincidentally matched Mark Pope’s playing number during his time in Lexington, the Wildcats got their largest margin of victory since 2011.

Kentucky’s next opponent is the Bucknell Bison, who comes to Rupp Arena on Saturday and was ranked 277th in the NET. For context, that is currently the second-lowest ranking of any of Kentucky’s opponents this season.

Led by second-year head coach John Griffin III, the Bison have suffered five straight losing seasons, but things are improving. Last season, they finished second in the Patriot League and were picked to finish fourth this season.

In terms of connections, former Wildcat transfer Nate Sestina played four seasons for the Bison, and former graduate assistant Zach Thomas also played there. That said, this will be the first matchup between the two programs.

The Bison are coming off an 85-73 road win over Delaware to tip off the season.

Here’s what to watch for in Kentucky vs. Bucknell.

Rebounding

Mark Pope has not been happy with his team’s effort on the boards through two exhibition games and the season opener. With better competition on the horizon, this has to improve.

“We were just barely okay,” Pope said of his team’s rebounding after the Wildcats’ season opener against Wright State. “If we want to accomplish what everybody wants us to accomplish this year, we are going to have to get better on the glass.”

Often, there are players who are eager to leak out in transition, which allows opponents to secure offensive boards. Wright State had 11 of them. Bucknell is not the biggest team, and Kentucky needs to be more dominant on the boards than we’ve seen vs. Wright State or in the exhibition season to feel good about what the Cats can do vs. bigger and more athletic teams.

More 3s?

Before the season, assistant coach Cody Fueger said the goal for this Kentucky team was to attempt 35 3s per game. In Game 1, they shot just 24.

That said, the Wildcats shot 45.8% from deep and were not forcing 3-pointers just to shoot them.

The Bison are a smaller team than Wright State, so I would expect to see Kentucky continue to put pressure inside. However, the Wildcats could use this game as an opportunity to install stuff for the Duke game next week, designing for more 3-point shots.

Take Advantage of Turnovers

In their season opener, Bucknell turned the ball over sixteen times, among the most in the country after one game. On the other hand, Kentucky stole the ball eleven times, also among the highest in the country.

The Wildcats showed excellent ball pressure for most of the game against Wright State, highlighted by Lamont Butler and Otega Oweh, who recorded three steals apiece. They should be able to have the same if not more success against Bucknell, leading to some easy-scoring opportunities.

Opposing Players to Watch

C Noah Williamson 7-0, 250 lbs

• 19.0 PPG
• 12.0 RPG
• Preseason All-Patriot League Team

G Josh Bascoe 6-0, 180 lbs

• 18.0 PPG
• 100% 3P

F Ian Motta 6-6, 195 lbs

• 18.0 PPG
• 5.0 RPG

Kentucky Basketball vs. Bucknell Bison

Time: 4:00 PM ET on November 9th, 2024
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
TV Channel: This game will not be on TV and is streaming only,
Online Stream: SEC Network+, ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | BUCK
Stats to Know: UK | BUCK
KenPom: UK | BUCK
Team Sheet: UK | BUCK

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for this game. Most of the projections give Kentucky at least a 96% chance at victory, including Bart Torvik (97%), KenPom (96%), and ESPN (97.8%). EvanMiya gives Kentucky a 93.7% chance to win.

Predictions: Bart Torvik and Haslametrics have Kentucky winning 87-64 and 88-64, respectively. EvanMiya (84-64) and KenPom (86-66) both predict a 20-point win for the Wildcats.

Be sure to send us your score predictions in the comments section!

College basketball has changed with the advent of NIL and the transfer portal. In some ways for the better, and in others for the worse. That said, when money is introduced, it can complicate things, and even give opportunities for people to deceive young athletes.

It has already been seen in college football, as multiple athletes have opted to sit out the remainder of their seasons after not receiving NIL money they were originally promised. According to Kentucky transfer guard Kerr Kriisa, it is happening in college basketball too.

“In the college industry, kids are getting lied to,” Kriisa told Kentucky Insider. “They’re getting sold something that’s not true, that’s not there.”

As of now, there are few bylaws and guidelines that the NCAA can enforce, leading to the current landscape. However, Mark Pope is separating himself.

“With Coach Pope, that’s not the case,” he added. “He’s honest. He doesn’t tell you something that’s not there. He’s not going to sell you some BS. He’s going to tell you how things are. That’s the thing I appreciate most, especially in this college industry. That is a very big thing about Coach Pope.”

Pope presents himself as honest and authentic, and that is apparent very quickly upon meeting him. Kriisa suggests that is why he has had early recruiting success.

Kentucky’s most recent commitment Acaden Lewis said as much following his accountment this past weekend.

“[Mark] Pope, he was in the hood with me,” Lewis said. “He came to my barber shop and everything. It felt like a home. Felt like somewhere I should be.”

Talking to the father of another Kentucky prospect, “Everything is super personal with him [Pope]. It’s super cool.”

That authenticity is why Big Blue Nation and recruits have fallen in love with Pope. Now, will it lead to success? Time will tell.

What a Kentucky coaching debut for Mark Pope, as the Wildcats routed Wright State 103-62 to tip off the season.

The 41-point margin of victory was not only the second-largest margin of victory in a Kentucky coach’s debut, only behind Adolph Rupp, but also a number of divine intervention. Of course, the margin matched Pope’s jersey number from his playing days at Kentucky.

“41, really special to me,” Pope said after the game. “That is really sweet. Kentucky magic, ain’t nothing like it.”

Kentucky fans weren’t the only group impressed, as ESPN’s Myron Medcalf named Mark Pope the most impressive coach of day one of this college basketball season.

Medcalf writes:

Mark Pope kicked off his first year at Kentucky impressively. In the first half of his team’s matchup against Wright State, the Wildcats made 58% of their shots, 44% of their 3s. Five players had at least eight points before the break. Kentucky finished with 103 points. Jaxson Robinson is a potential future pro, but the program doesn’t have a clear star yet. Which is OK, as long as UK continues to play selflessly in the former BYU coach’s offensive scheme that spreads the floor — 50% of BYU’s shots last season were 3s — and encourages players to push the pace and attack the rim. It’s a fun style.

Of course, this is a long season, but the vibes are high and the excitement is building ahead of Kentucky’s first real test of the season as they take on Duke in the Champion’s Classic next week.