The Kentucky Wildcats tipped off their 2024-25 regular season Monday Night, welcoming Wright State to Lexington for opening night, and Mark Pope’s squad raced past the visiting Raiders 103-62.

As the Cats opened a new era of the program, the first half might have been one of the most anticipated 20 minutes of basketball in this state in quite some time.

Well, this team delivered.

Kentucky came out of the gates playing their style of basketball, pushing the tempo and forcing the Raiders into some tough shots to open up the fast break. Likely, the most welcomed surprise, however, came from Amari Williams. The Drexel transfer flashed his All-SEC potential this evening by doing a little bit of everything in the first half, helping the Cats open up a 22-point halftime lead.

Coming out of the locker room in the second half, the fanbase got another taste of just how special this team can be. With shot-makers all over the floor and plenty of playmakers that have bought into the system, Coach Pope’s squad exploded on the offensive end. Not to mention the impressive defensive intensity for the final 20 minutes, as well.

The new era is off to a 1-0 start. Now the fanbase will have to wait until Saturday, as the Cats welcome Bucknell to Rupp Arena for game two of the season.

It is going to be a fun season, folks. Enjoy the ride.

Go Cats!

Highlights

Box Score

Game MVP

We could hand out this award to several different players tonight. Amari Williams was awesome. Lamont Butler really shined on both floors. However, Otega Oweh outshone the rest.

The Oklahoma Sooners transfer finished the night with 21 points on 8/8 shooting, including 3/3 from deep. He also added three rebounds, three steals, a block, and an assist.

Oweh entered this season with the assumption of being a legit defender and a decent offensive player. Well, he might just be great on the offensive end of the floor. Showing off the shooting touch tonight and his ability to get downhill and score at the rim, Oweh could raise the ceiling of this group if he continues to play like this.

Kentucky Twitter Reactions vs. Wright State

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