It was hardly a fair fight, but it was an entertaining debut for John Calipari‘s two-platoon system Sunday night as the University of Kentucky basketball team showcased its unmatched size and depth in a 116-68 exhibition thrashing of Pikeville at Rupp Arena.
Calipari started twin sophomores Andrew and Aaron Harrison, junior Alex Poythress, freshman Karl-Anthony Towns and junior Willie Cauley-Stein. The second platoon consisted of freshmen Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker and Trey Lyles with sophomores Marcus Lee and Dakari Johnson.
The two waves overwhelmed the undersized Bears, an NAIA team whose starters were three 6-foot-3 players and a pair of 6-5 guys. The Wildcats’ starters went 6-6, 6-6, 6-8, 6-11 and 7 feet – a collective 23-inch height advantage.