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Mark Pope Gets His First Kentucky Win plus Boxscore and Other Wright State Game Notes

Mark Pope, who wore jersey #41 during his playing days, won his debut as the Kentucky coach by a 41-point margin over Wright State

Go here for boxscore.

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY.
NOV. 4, 2024
ATTENDANCE: 19,635

Final Score: No. 23 Kentucky 103, 62

 Team Records and Series Notes

  • This was the season opener for both teams.
    • This was the second time Kentucky played Wright State in the season opener, also Dec. 2, 1992, an 81-65 win in Lexington.
  • Kentucky leads the series 5-0, including 4-0 in Lexington.
  • The Wildcats return to action Saturday, Nov. 9, at home vs. Bucknell. Game time is 4 p.m. and it will be televised on SEC Network+.

UK in Openers

  • Beginning its 123rdseason of men’s basketball, UK now has a 101-21 record in season lidlifters (no official games played in the 1952-53 season).
  • UK is 106-16 all-time in home openers.
  • UK is 45-4 in the first game played in Rupp Arena.
  • The Wildcats are 8-0 in a head coach’s debut dating back to Adolph Rupp’s first game in December 1930.

Team Notes

  • 103 points is the most in a season opener since Nov. 11, 2011, when Kentucky scored 108 vs. Marist.
  • Six players scored in double figures
    • The last time six Wildcats scored in double figures was March 2 against Arkansas.
  • Kentucky notched an assist on 30 of its 39 baskets tonight, an assist rate of 76.9%.
    • That follows a 70.2 assist rate in the two exhibition games.
    • Six players had at least three assists tonight, and three had at least five.
  • Kentucky never trailed in this game as there was one tie (2-2) and no lead changes.
  • Kentucky is 662-85 (88.6%) in the 49-year history of Rupp Arena.

Player Notes 

  • Amari Williams notched a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, his 25th career double-double.
  •  tallied 21 points, just two shy of his career best, and had a career-high three 3-pointers.
    • He also had three steals, tying Butler for game-high honors.
  •  notched 18 points, just four away from his career best, and hit all four 3-point shots.
  • Lamont Butler scored 14 points and matched Oweh with a game-high three steals.
  •  and  also hit double digits with 11 points each.

 Coach

  • Mark Pope, who wore jersey #41 during his playing days, won his debut as the Kentucky coach by a 41-point margin.
  • 103 points is the most for a Kentucky coach in his debut game.  The previous high was 88 points vs. Morehead State in Orlando “Tubby” Smith’s first game on Nov. 20, 1997.
  • Pope won his seventh season opener in a row, including his final season at Utah Valley and all five openers at BYU.
  • Winning his first game at Kentucky, Mark Pope’s career record is now 188-108.

 In the First Half

  • Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Otega Oweh, , Andrew Carr and Amari Williams.
    • First substitutions were Koby Brea and Brandon Garrison at the 14:44 mark.
  • On the first possession, the season’s first basket was by Carr on a lob from Williams.
    • Williams was part of UK’s first three baskets with an assist to Oweh and his own driving dunk.
  • All five starters scored before the first media timeout.
  • A 10-0 run, sparked by eight points by Brea, gave the Wildcats a 27-11 lead.
  • Kentucky led 46-24 at halftime, its largest lead of the opening stanza.
    • The Wildcats “eight” ‘em up in the first half as five players tallied eight points – Oweh, Robinson, Brea, Carr and Williams.
    • UK limited Wright State to 27.8 percent field goal shooting, 10 of 36.

In the Second Half

  • Kentucky began the second half with the starting lineup.
  • A 12-4 opening spurt coaxed a Raider timeout with 17:00 remaining.
  • UK led by as many as 44 points at 95-51 and 97-53.
  • UK hit the century mark, 101-60, on a Brea layup with 2:29 left.

Next Game

Gonzaga vs Kentucky (TBD)

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On December 5, 1953, Cawood Ledford broadcasts his first game as the radio “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On December 5, 1953, Cliff Hagan scored 51 points against Temple.

 

On December 5, 2009, freshman John Wall bounced back from a bout with dehydration and a queasy encounter with an IV drip to finish with 16 points -- including the clinching free throws with 4.3 seconds left -- seven assists, five rebounds and three steals to lift the Wildcats to a 68-66 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.  This was the first signature win of Calipari's tenure and proved his rebuilding job was well ahead of schedule.

 

Wildcats Born on This Date

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