Kentucky's 77-51 win over Nicholls State wasn't always pretty. The Wildcats looked tight, "lost in the weeds a little bit on the offensive side," as Mark Pope put it, and struggled to find any real flow in the first half. After an 84-70 exhibition loss where the offense looked similarly disjointed, some fans are getting nervous that the offense is just what it is.
After the game, Mark Pope explained why the offense is lagging, and his reasoning reveals his entire philosophy for this team's foundation.
Mark Pope explains why Kentucky's offense is a work in progress
When asked about the team's struggles to penetrate and find a rhythm in the first half, Pope gave a refreshingly honest answer: they haven't really practiced it. "Well, you know, all we do is is work on the defensive end right now," Pope stated. "So, we're going to have to spend a little bit of time on the offensive end." That sounds too much like a John Calipari answer to me, but Pope has proven his teams evolve as the season so I can cut him some slack on it, for now.
Pope explained that the "tightness" and tentativeness BBN saw, like the "tough time catching balls early in the game," is a natural result of a team so focused on building its defensive identity. He believes that defensive focus is paramount, even if it means the offense takes time to catch up.
“I was so proud of our guys first half defensive performance," Pope said. "I thought we really really focused the last several days on... communicating defensively and and trying to fulfill some different assignments and I thought we did very very well in the first half." He noted the Cats held Nicholls to just 15 first-half points, just two baskets shy of the all-time UK record (11).
He emphasized that this defensive-minded approach is the plan, not a temporary fix. “Our defense going to have to carry us at some points this season and that's okay... that can be a real strength of ours," he concluded. For now, BBN may have to accept some "discombobulated" offense in exchange for a team that is learning to "gather energy from... defensive success."
When the offense does click though, this team can really take off. But that when could be a long time from now.
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