The preseason is officially in the books, and Big Blue Nation is left with a case of cautious optimism. Kentucky's 1-1 exhibition split, featuring a dominant 78-65 win over No. 1 Purdue and an ugly 84-70 loss to Georgetown, gave us a perfect glimpse of this team's high ceiling and its dangerously low floor.
Here are the three biggest signs of brilliance and the three most glaring weaknesses we saw as the Cats are heading towards games that count.
Flashes of brilliance
1. A relentless rebounding identity
This team will crash the boards. Period. Kentucky was relentless on the glass across both games, outrebounding opponents by a combined margin of +20. Even in the loss to Georgetown, the Cats grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. Mo Dioubate, in particular, has emerged as a rugged interior force. This kind of effort on the boards can cover up for cold shooting nights and is a hallmark of Mark Pope's most successful teams.
2. The depth is real
Pope wanted competition, and he has it. He ran 10 players for at least 15 minutes in the Purdue win and 9 in the Georgetown loss (Denzel Aberdeen was held out). The bench production, especially 27 points against Purdue, proves this depth isn't just theoretical. The challenge, however, remains: Pope now has to figure out how to use that 10-deep rotation as an engine that can win in March.
3. Active, disciplined 3-point defense
This was a major bright spot. The Wildcats were active in chasing shooters off the line, showing impressive discipline in their rotations. They held a veteran Purdue squad to just 3-for-17 (17.6%) from deep and followed up by holding Georgetown to 5-for-16 (31.3%). If Kentucky can sustain that level of perimeter defense, they will be incredibly difficult to score on.
Glaring weaknesses
1. The alarming shooting woes
This is the elephant in the room. Pope's system is designed to generate a high volume of open threes, but the shots simply aren't falling. Kentucky shot 9-for-29 (31%) against Purdue and a dreadful 7-for-30 (23.3%) against Georgetown. That's a combined 16-for-59 (27.1%) for the preseason. Against Georgetown, the Cats went 0-for-12 from deep in the second half. This team's entire ceiling may depend on whether these open looks start falling.
2. Point guard depth is perilously thin...agian
The Georgetown loss was a blaring alarm bell. Without the injured Jaland Lowe and the resting Denzel Aberdeen, the offense completely fell apart. Collin Chandler looked miscast as the primary facilitator, and the team had 15 turnovers, leading to 23 points for the Hoyas. It's clear that without a true, poised floor general, the offense stagnates and becomes a one-on-one mess.
3. Offensive cohesion and spacing
The ball "stuck" far too often, especially in the loss. Players were seen standing in the same spots, misreading cuts, and killing the rhythm of the offense. It was a far cry from the fluid, ball-movement-heavy vision Pope has sold. As Otega Oweh noted, the team needs to be "super locked in" for the real games, because the offensive chemistry is still very much a work in progress.
There are things that can be corrected, but they need to hurry it up. The season starts Tuesday, and Louisville is just one week from that.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion