On Thursday, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope spoke to the media and he said that his message to the Cats was that they needed to improve their rebounding, especially on the offensive boards.
The Cats got the message and proceeded to win the battle of the boards in a 10-72 win over Bucknell on Saturday inside Rupp Arena.
Kentucky (2-0) grabbed 57 rebounds, including 22 on the offensive glass, compared to just 35 and 12 offensive boards for Bucknell. The UK head coach was pleased with how his team rebounded on Saturday.
“I’m really proud of our guys. As a coach, it’s a gift to have guys that are curious and guys that are humble and want to get better. For these guys to respond to a challenge that we’ve been sitting on for about 10 days, for these guys to put up almost 60 rebounds today, it’s incredibly gratifying as a coach. It’s a really important step for us as a team.”
Koby Brea made six of eight from behind the arc on his way to 20 points in the win, leading five Cats who scored in double figures. Jaxson Robinson had 14 for the Cats, while Amari Williams had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Andrew Carr had 11 points for UK, while Otega Oweh had 10.
Kerr Kriisa tied his career high with 12 assists. Kriisa added six points and four rebounds
The Cats started slowly, missing their first three shots from the floor. However, UK would make three of its next four to build a 10-3 lead. That stretch was part of a 21-4 run, capped by threes from Koby Brea and Kerr Kriisa, that gave UK a 22-7 lead with 12:39 left in the first half.
After Bucknell scored a pair of baskets, the Cats went on a 9-0, including a three from Ansley Almonor and back-to-back layups from Robinson, to lead 31-11. However, the Bison responded with a 12-4 run to cut the UK lead to 35-23. But the Cats would get a basket from Williams, another three from Brea and an Oweh basket to lead 42-23. The Cats would lead 47-31 at the half.
In the second half, Bucknell cut the UK lead to 14 points, 52-38, before UK got consecutive threes from Brea and Kriisa to lead 58-38. Kentucky would lead by as many as 28 points, including at the final buzzer.
The competition level increases significantly for the Cats on Tuesday, as they face fifth-ranked Duke in the Champions Classic in Atlanta. Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 9 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPN.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.
Next Game
Vanderbilt vs Kentucky (On time)
