Kentucky basketball can score. Mark Pope, Wildcats can beat teams with more than just 3s

LEXINGTON — There’s a belief surrounding Kentucky basketball in 2024-25 that it will live and die by the 3. Shoot them early. Shoot them late. Shoot them when they’re open. Shoot them when they’re guarded.

The UK coaching staff is as guilty as anyone — particularly assistant (and offensive coordinator) Cody Fueger — of furthering that line of thinking, regularly voicing its goal of attempting at least 35 triples per game this season.

But in its exhibition finale Tuesday against Minnesota State Mankato, Kentucky showed it can do far more offensively than merely fire away from long range.

The Wildcats knocked down shots from near and far against the Mavericks, easing to a 98-67 victory at Rupp Arena.

“A good night for us, a really good night,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. “So much of what we needed tonight. So I was really happy with it.”

UK was 13 of 37 beyond the 3-point arc Tuesday, totaling 39 points. But the Wildcats actually scored more points in the paint (46).

Any way a team can play offensively, Kentucky displayed it in the 31-point win.

The Wildcats had 39 points from their reserves. They scored 18 off the Mavericks’ 17 turnovers. UK tallied 35 fast-break points.

The best measure of the hosts’ excellence offensively: UK scored on 58.1% (43 for 74) of its possessions — an average of 1.324 points per possession.

“I love the way Mark has his guys playing. That’s the way we want to play,” Mavericks coach Matt Margenthaler said. “I just told our guys in locker room, ‘They are ready to shoot the ball all the time.’ They’ve got the shooters. That’s how we recruit. When we were watching Kentucky, we run a lot of the same things that Kentucky does.

“D**n, we don’t have the same players, though,” Margenthaler added with a laugh. “But they really do a good job.”

Senior guard Jaxson Robinson led the way for the Wildcats, pouring in a game-high 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting (61.5%). All eight of Robinson’s field goal makes were 3-pointers, going 8 for 12 from…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kentucky-basketball-score-mark-pope-003745614.html

Author : The Courier Journal

Publish date : 2024-10-30 00:37:00

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