Kentucky made eight of 15 three-point attempts after halftime in its 69-49 exhibition win over Little Rock on Friday. The Wildcats had made four of 13 in the first half. That split offers an early check on Mark Pope's reported belief that this could be his best shooting team, though one strong half cannot establish a season's shooting standard.
The first half is worth keeping in view. Kentucky scored 30 points and shot 10 of 28 from the floor before the break. Little Rock still managed only 19 points. Pope's team had room to wait for its offense because the opponent was having a worse time finding a basket.
The defense bought time
Kentucky held Little Rock to 31 percent shooting for the game and 10 percent from three, according to the official postgame notes. The Wildcats blocked eight shots and won the rebounding count 42-35. Those totals do not describe every rotation, and a block total alone cannot prove the connected defense Pope discussed at SEC Tipoff. They do show that Kentucky controlled this exhibition while its own shot making changed sharply between halves.
Milan Momcilovic led the game with 16 points and made four of seven threes. His shooting has already been part of CBR's look at the possible Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno pairing. Friday gave Kentucky a result for Momcilovic. The next exhibitions can show whether the same actions create shots against different defenses. Moreno also led the game with 11 rebounds.
CBR's earlier defensive preview asked whether Kentucky's size could turn possessions into stops. The Little Rock result is a first data point for that question. It also separates two kinds of confidence Pope has expressed. Kentucky did not need a full game of hot shooting to win this exhibition. It has yet to show that eight-for-15 second-half pace over a larger stretch or against the opponents ahead.
