Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 108-59 romp over Jackson State on Friday night at Rupp Arena:
1. Kentucky played to its level
This one might have been the biggest mismatch of Kentucky basketball’s 2024-25 season. The undefeated Wildcats, who a week ago knocked off then No. 6-ranked Duke, versus a winless Jackson State team that had dropped its first five games. In fact, Mo Williams club was ranked No. 320 in offensive efficiency and No. 297 in defensive efficiency by Ken Pomeroy.
Sometimes in those situations, a team will play down to the level of its competition. These Cats didn’t do that. They led 54-30 at the half. Their longest lead was 51 points. They shot 57.7% for the game, made 17 of 39 3-point attempts and dished 29 assists.
Koby Brea was 8-for-11 from the field, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range on the way to a game-high 22 points. Otega Oweh was 8-for-12 from the floor on the way to 21 points.
Kentucky’s 17 made 3-pointers tied the most three-pointers made in a game during John Calipari’s 15 years as coach. UK was 17-of-32 from 3 in its 101-67 win over Stonehill on Nov. 17 of last season.
“It was fun,” Pope said. “We got to see everything.”
2. The ball doesn’t stick
Jackson State coach Mo Williams knows a thing or two about basketball. He was a star guard at Alabama before going on to a long and successful NBA career. He knows a good passing team when he sees one.
“I was really impressed with the way Kentucky shared the ball,” Williams said Friday night. “The ball doesn’t stick.”
UK finished with 29 assists on its 41 made field goals. Kerr Kriisa led the way with seven assists in 12 minutes. Brandon Garrison, a 6-foot-10 center, dished six assists in his 23 minutes. Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr were each credited with five assists.
“Eleven of our 12 players scored,” Pope said afterward. “And the one player who didn’t score led us in assists.”
That was Kriisa, who was a starter at both Arizona and West Virginia before joining Pope at Kentucky, where he has accepted his role of coming off the bench.
“I think he knew exactly what he was walking into,” Pope said. “Seven assists, zero points. He’s cool with that.”
Ryan C. Hermens rhermens@herald-leader.com
3. More feasts over Thanksgiving?
Now 5-0 on the season, Kentucky plays a pair of games next week around the Thanksgiving holiday. Western Kentucky visits Rupp Arena on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. start. Georgia State comes to Rupp for a 7 p.m. game on Friday.
Western Kentucky beat Jackson State 79-62 in Bowling Green on Wednesday night. The Hilltoppers are 3-2 under first-year coach Hank Plona. They’ve lost to Wichita State (91-84) and Bryce Drew and Grand Canyon (74-72). The Toppers are off until their Rupp visit.
Georgia State beat North Carolina Central 93-79 to run its record to 2-2. The Panthers have lost to Mississippi State (101-66) and Jacksonville State (72-67). They are coached by former Georgia star Jonas Hayes, who was an assistant for the Bulldogs for five years under current UK assistant coach Mark Fox.
After next week, Kentucky’s schedule becomes more difficult. There’s the Dec. 3 trip to Clemson for the SEC/ACC Challenge. An Elite Eight team last season under Brad Brownell, the Tigers are off to a 4-1 start this season. Then there is UK’s Dec. 7 game against No. 3-ranked Gonzaga in Seattle. The Zags are an impressive 5-0.
We’ll learn a lot more about this Kentucky team post-Thanksgiving, but so far BBN has to love what it has seen. A win over Duke. Three home victories in which the Cats scored more than 100 points. Five straight games in which Pope’s club has made double digits 3-pointers.
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