Concerned Kentucky could be on upset alert after watching Kentucky Wesleyan defeat Louisville a season ago inside the KFC Yum! Center during the Cardinals’ exhibition schedule? The Wildcats aren’t overlooking the Panthers ahead of Mark Pope‘s first exhibition game inside Rupp Arena as head coach.

In fact, Kentucky is over-preparing going into Wednesday night, not willing to take any chances against the Division II program out of Owensboro. They’ve watched film and extensively scouted KWC, coached by Drew Cooper, the 2024 NABC All-Midwest District and Great Midwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

Returning four of the team’s top-five leading scorers from a team that won 21 games — including 15 in conference play — there won’t be any surprises for the Wildcats. It’s a process that started back in the summer, Kentucky preparing for this very moment.

“Well, I think we’ve tried throughout the summer to keep our focus and game mode throughout the summer. So when games start, it’s nothing new,” Collin Chandler told the media on Tuesday. “We don’t do anything different. We focus on doing the little things, the boring habits of preparing for practice every day. We’ll look to take that same precaution and prepare for the game. We’ve watched film, talked about personnel. …

“We have (scouting information) on our phones. We have a report on all their guys and a bunch of film attached so we can study and be ready.”

What has the team learned about tonight’s opponent? The Panthers will compete, for one. To avoid what happened to the Cardinals last season, the Wildcats will have to throw the first punch to make the statement they hope to make inside Rupp Arena.

“These guys can play, and that’s what we’ve seen on film,” Chandler added. “We’re going over their plays, and we’re gonna be ready for them. They’re very good players and can come in and — we expect them to play. We’re coming in ready to respond to that. We’re looking to attack and make a statement.”

Kentucky will be prepared, but most importantly, the team is excited for the challenge of playing someone else for a change. After countless battles in practice against one another, the Wildcats finally get their first shot at someone not wearing blue and white.

“I’m excited, we’re so excited to give other people headaches than ourselves and compete together. That’s something that is really exciting. We’ve already started scouting and game-planning on how we’re going to play together,” Chandler said. “We’ve been practicing coming together and how to lean on each other, but it’s just something different when we’re not playing guys on the same team. We’re going to learn how to really lean on each other against an opponent that isn’t on our team.”

What do they hope to accomplish on Wednesday — beyond coming away with a victory, obviously? Showing off a selfless brand of basketball is important, one that prioritizes clean looks for each other rather than getting their individual games off.

“I think our big focus has been on making plays for our teammates, focusing on what we can do to assist our teammates,” Chandler said. “Not even just passing, but like screening and setting real screens to get each other open. That’s our thought process, we’re worried about our teammates getting shots and we think everything’s gonna work out.”

It’s also a chance to figure out lineups and rotations, finding the best complementary pieces in live game action with proper rest — unlike the 40 minutes they all had to play against each other in the Blue-White Preseason Event. Fatigue won’t be an issue with the playing time distributed throughout the roster, getting a better feel for what this team will actually look like this year.

“Playing 40 minutes non-stop is definitely a challenge, I think for everybody. Everybody bounced back on Saturday and felt good actually, so I think we’re all ready to go,” Chandler said. “It’s nice now that we won’t have to play 40 minutes and we’ll be able to sub in and out, to give all that we have to give our 100 percent knowing a guy is ready to come in. That’s another nice thing about playing together, we can kind of tag team it.”

Oh, and Big Blue Nation. Playing in front of the most passionate fan base in college basketball is going to be fun, as well.

“Considering it’s the first game we’re playing against somebody else, I would think that Big Blue Nation is excited,” he added. “It’s gonna be a good environment. We’re excited for that.”

They’ll get their first shot at 7 p.m. ET inside Rupp Arena, live on SEC Network+.