Kentucky‘s first exhibition game in Rupp Arena went even better than the most optimistic Mark Pope fans could imagine. The Wildcats scored 123 points and won by 71 against Kentucky Wesleyan College, which returned most of its roster from the team that upset Louisville in Louisville in this spot one year ago. Kentucky shot 50 percent from 3 against the Panthers, tying the school record for 3s in a single game with 21 makes.
The final score and 3-point barrage were a sight to see, especially in the debut of Pope’s brand of ball at UK. Within the hot night, nearly everyone on the roster was outstanding. However, some of the stars of the night came as a surprise, based on summer speculation and expectations of how the team will look. It’s way too early to form any solid opinions without overreacting to one outing. Still, we can brag on some of the players who weren’t talked about as much in the weeks leading up to their Kentucky debut. The guys not named Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr, or Lamont Butler.
You already know we’re starting with the pride of the 13th Region, who caught fire when his number was called in the second half.
Trent Noah
Harlan County’s Trent Noah wasn’t even supposed to be a Wildcat. He initially committed to South Carolina, then found his way home when Pope inherited an empty locker room in Lexington. Ranked 159th in the 2024 recruiting class, Noah came in with low expectations, considering all of the experience around him, with plenty of time to grow and develop. As Jack Givens noted on the KSR Pregame Show, Noah is doing all of the right things and outworking many of his teammates, but he has some guys in front of him in the rotation that will make it hard to play significant minutes in Year 1.
Against Kentucky Wesleyan, Noah got his first opportunity to play at game speed at the college level. He waited his turn and checked in for the first time with 11 minutes to go in the game. He quickly got a steal, which I didn’t see in the box score, but I saw it with my eyes. Then, he ignited his home state crowd by hitting four 3-pointers in less than four minutes. The homegrown freshman finished with 12 points, two assists, and a rebound in nine minutes. I don’t know how much he’ll play when the season officially starts, but Noah made the most of his first college minutes. Mark Pope said afterward, “Trent is not shy.”
Ansley Almonor
Like Noah, Ansley Almonor brought a hot hand off the bench for a surprise performance against Kentucky Wesleyan. The Fairleigh Dickinson transfer hit five 3-pointers on Wednesday night, going five of seven from beyond the arc for 15 points in the game, the third-highest output on the team.
At 6-foot-7, 244 pounds, Almonor will likely see most of his minutes behind Andrew Carr at forward. Time will tell how many minutes he will get against D1 opponents. But he will certainly see the floor plenty if he shoots the ball anything like he did in the exhibition game. I doubt many people, if any, predicted he’d hit five from long range. Although, Otega Oweh saw it coming. Oweh said of Almonor after the game, “Everyone knows he’s capable of hitting from three.”
Otega Oweh
Otega Oweh cracked Mark Pope’s first starting lineup for Kentucky, taking the open two-guard spot next to point guard Lamont Butler. We quickly saw why.
Right away, the Oklahoma transfer cleaned up Lamont Butler’s long miss with an offensive rebound and a second-chance layup for Oweh’s first Kentucky bucket. A minute and a half later, he sank his first 3-point attempt as a Wildcat, followed by another second-chance layup for seven points in the opening minutes. By halftime, Oweh had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, four rebounds, and two assists before finishing the game with 18 points, second to Jaxson Robinson’s team-high 19. Oweh played only 18 minutes in the win.
Coming from the Big 12, we knew Oweh could play. He averaged 11.4 points in 24.8 minutes as a sophomore, starting in 28 of 32 games for the Sooners in 2023-24. Still, he looked really good in his first exhibition game at his new home. Pope said the starting lineup is subject to change, but it may not need any changes based on the team’s first exhibition. Otega brings a little bit of everything, from athleticism to more 3-point shooting, to a team that may break 3-point shooting records.
Mark Pope loved Oweh’s decision-making against KWC. Pope said in his postgame comments, “I was so proud of Otega tonight. You know, I actually wondered if this was going to be a little bit of a complicated game for him. Because it is such a heavy gap team. His decision-making about when he attacked all the way to the rim and when he came to two feet was brilliant and actually incredible all night long.”
I’ll add that Kentucky looked incredible all night long. Let’s do it again next Tuesday for fun. Who will step up next?
