It’s hard to believe, but Kentucky basketball is officially here, folks. At long last, the Mark Pope era in Lexington is ready to begin, starting with an exhibition battle against the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers inside Rupp Arena on Wednesday. We’ve gotten Pro Day, Big Blue Madness and the Blue-White Preseason Event, but now, it’s time for the Wildcats to take on competition other than themselves.

What do you need to know about the matchup? Well, considering Pope is bringing in 12 new scholarship players, there isn’t much to know about what this squad is going to look like in terms of lineups and rotations, but we’ll give it our best shot. Most importantly, how can fans keep up with the game?

KSR’s got you covered.

How To Watch

No. 23 Kentucky vs. Kentucky Wesleyan
7 p.m. ET | Wednesday, Oct. 23 | Rupp Arena

• Streaming: SEC Network+
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Kentucky Potential Starters

#1 – Lamont Butler
6-2 – 208 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
9.3 PPG, 3.0 APG, 1.5 SPG*

#4 – Koby Brea
6-7 – 215 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
11.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.2 APG*

#2 – Jaxson Robinson
6-6 – 192 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
14.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.3 APG*

#7 – Andrew Carr
6-11 – 235 – FORWARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
13.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.5 BPG*

#22 – Amari Williams
7-0 – 262 – CENTER – GRADUATE STUDENT
12.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG*

Stats via 2023-24 season*

Kentucky Wesleyan Potential Starters

#2 – Kennedy Miles
6-1 – 170 – GUARD – FIFTH YEAR
12.8 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.5 RPG*

#21 – Kaeveon Mitchell
6-3 – 180 – GUARD – FIFTH YEAR
8.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG*

#33 – Logan McIntire
6-5 – 195 – GUARD – JUNIOR
10.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG*

#12 – Edwards Jones Jr.
6-5 – 200 – FORWARD – SENIOR
11.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG*

#19 – Fatih Huyuk
6-7 – 230 – CENTER – JUNIOR
12.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG*

Stats via 2023-24 season*

Pregame Storylines

MARK POPE’S KENTUCKY DEBUT

There is no bigger storyline than the start of a new era of Kentucky basketball. Mark Pope will be making his coaching debut as the leader of the Wildcats, a fresh start for all parties involved following John Calipari’s transition to Arkansas. He’ll be joined by an entire staff of new faces and 12 scholarship players who will also be making their respective debuts. Pope enters his time back in Lexington with a 187-108 overall coaching record following four years at Utah Valley and five years at BYU.

WILL KERR KRIISA PLAY TONIGHT?

Kriisa was kept out of the Blue-White Game due to a tweaked hamstring, Pope first joking that they were in the midst of “contract renegotiations” and the fifth-year senior was “holding out.” The real story is that some “heavy conditioning” got him last week and the decision to sit him was “just a precaution,” the Kentucky head coach adding “it’s not even a strain.” Will he be ready five days later against live competition? We’ll find out tonight at Rupp.

WHO WILL START AT THE TWO?

It’s fair to include Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams when discussing Kentucky’s starters to open the season. Butler has emerged as the Wildcats’ two-way leader while Robinson and Carr have All-SEC potential, Williams adding size and experience to the frontcourt as a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year. Who will start at the two? That’s the question of the day with Koby Brea and Otega Oweh the clubhouse leaders bringing completely different skillsets to the table, the former as an elite shooter and the latter as the superior athlete with defensive upside. Would Pope rather complement Butler’s defense with Brea’s offense and swap in the backcourt with Kriisa’s offense and Oweh’s defense?

KWC UPSET LOUISVILLE LAST YEAR

Could the Wildcats be on upset alert? Highly unlikely, but the Panthers did beat Louisville 71-68 last season during exhibition play, the start of Kenny Payne’s final year with the Cardinals. Borja Fernandez led KWC with 19 points and seven rebounds, followed by Kaeveon Mitchell with 13, Edward Jones Jr. with 10, Kennedy Miles with 10 and Logan McIntire with 10 to round out double-figure scorers. Fernandez is out of eligibility, but the Panthers return Mitchell, Jones, Miles and McIntire in 2024-25 — their second- through fifth-leading scorers.

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during tonight’s game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates as your eyes and ears inside Rupp Arena while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating). New members can try seven days for $1.

Rapid Reaction on the KSR YouTube Channel

Miss the game? KSR’s got you covered with a Rapid Reaction live from Rupp Arena on the KSR YouTube Channel. We’ll also have wall-to-wall postgame coverage on the website, including highlights, comments from Mark Pope and the players, stats, and takeaways.

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