By the time the first-half buzzer sounded, UK had a whopping 12 boards offensively. 

That trend continued into the second half, as its domination in the rebounding department helped No. 23 Kentucky bully overmatched Bucknell, 100-72, at Rupp Arena. 

UK (2-0) finished with 57 rebounds, 22 more than the visitors’ 35. 

The Wildcats collected 22 offensive boards and 35 defensive. 

More than just a display of skill, Saturday’s performance also proved Kentucky’s players heard Mark Pope’s message. Pope, in his first year as the coach of his alma mater, had lamented his team’s rebounding — on multiple occasions — in recent weeks. He was disappointed his club grabbed just six offensive rebounds in its exhibition finale against Minnesota State Mankato. And two days before the Bison (2-1) arrived in Lexington, Pope noted he wanted his team to come up with at least 30% of its offensive rebound opportunities; after tallying just seven offensive boards in the regular-season opener versus Wright State — pulling down only one rebound offensively in the opening 20 minutes — Pope said UK wasn’t “living in” the space he preferred, percentage-wise, on the boards. 

Kentucky set up residence in that ZIP code Saturday. 

And it occurred against a foe that had excelled in that respect in its first two outings.