Sloppy Cats handle Bucknell: Recap and highlights from Rupp Arena

Today against Bucknell, Coach Mark Pope had two things he was really looking for better rebounding and consistent effort. In a pregame meeting, the announcers mentioned this game was a tune-up for Duke; Pope quickly corrected them, making it clear that every game they play is the season's biggest game. So, how did the Cats do in those two areas?

In terms of rebounding, the Cats came out strong on the boards, outrebounding the Bison 21-7 to start the game.

The team also looked ready to play right from the tip-off. Just check out this impressive block by Brandon Garrison—if Kentucky can keep up rim protection like that all season, it’ll take a lot of pressure off the guards

However, the Cats started to look a little flat around the six-minute mark in the first half. Up by 19 points, they hit their first scoring drought of the season, going over two minutes without a basket and committing a few turnovers. Bucknell got a little more comfortable, narrowing the lead to 14.

Then Koby Brea did Koby Brea things, draining a corner three off a no-look pass from Kerr

Overall, the Cats struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting 19-of-42 and just 6-of-19 from three. But they hit the glass hard, finishing the half with a 32-14 rebounding advantage over Bucknell. The Cats also had a surprisingly high 7 turnovers in the first half, looking a bit sloppy aside from their rebounding efforts.

Despite the hiccups, Kentucky took a 47-31 lead into the second half. Are you not playing your best but still up by 16? I have no complaints here. Pre-game MVP Jaxon Robinson scored 11 points and 4 rebounds, Brea added 9 points, and Carr and Oweh contributed 6 each.

The second half started with a strong defensive possession, followed by an offensive rebound that set up a three-point play for Andrew Carr.

Speaking of defense, the Cats held Bucknell’s leading scorer, Williamson, scoreless until the 18-minute mark of the second half. Still, Bucknell hung around, cutting the lead to 14 with 16 minutes left.

The Cats kept the momentum going, pushing the lead past twenty with some sharp shooting. They went 5-of-8 from three in the first ten minutes of the second half and assisted on 8 of their first 9 field goals.

Bucknell never got the lead down to single digits, a good sign of Kentucky’s focus in a game they were heavily favored to win.

Kentucky had stretched their lead to 79-52 by the eight-minute timeout. The crowd erupted when Trent Noah and Travis Perry checked in with just over four minutes left. Overall, the Cats took care of business, but they’ll need to tighten up on turnovers if they want to take down Duke on Tuesday. Final score from Rupp:

Kentucky-100
Bucknell-72