After cruising to a 20-point win in their exhibition opener, No. 23 Kentucky will see a step up in competition this week, as the Cats host No. 19/16 Texas Tech at Rupp Arena (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network Plus).
Kentucky won its first exhibition game of the fall, beating Travis Ford’s Little Rock team 69-49 at Rupp Arena. Milan Momcilovic led the Cats with 16 points, with Alex Wilkins adding 11 and Mason Williams 10.
UK head coach Mark Pope knows that the Red Raiders, who he faced as a head coach at BYU, will provide a big test to his Wildcats.
“We’re excited about facing a terrific team, a Top 25 team, here in Rupp tomorrow night,” Pope said. “(Grant McCasland) does a great job with his team and we’re really looking forward to testing us and kind of seeing where we are.”
Texas Tech will be shorthanded in Friday’s contest. First-team All-American J.T. Toppin, who tore his ACL last season, is still not cleared to play. However, McCasland will still have plenty of firepower on his team, including 6’5” guard Donovan Atwell, who averaged 13.5 points per game last season.
As for his team, Pope wants to see them continue to learn and develop as fall camp moves forward.
“This is training camp time,” Pope said. “This is the time where we’re focused on growing. We’re always focused on winning but if there’s ever a time when growing almost measures up to winning, in terms of priority, it’s right now. That’s what this is for. These (exhibition) games give yourself a chance to learn as much as you possibly can about your guys.”
Part of the process is not only improving as a team, but also learning what game days look like, what preparations look like and how the players should handle their business. This is something else that Pope and his staff are teaching the Cats.
“We’re kind of just learning the process,” Pope said. “Even for (scouting reports), it’s more about getting our guys familiar with the process. Right now, we’re just thinking about this young team just getting them on the floor, letting them be in front of the lights.”
Pope likes the talent on this year’s team and he likes where they could eventually land.
“This whole team, we’re young,” Pope said. “But we’re young with a massive upside and so it’s a race for us to continue to grow.”
Pope and his staff will be looking for some of that growth on Friday night as the Cats face nationally-ranked Texas Tech.
