Texas Tech Brings a Real Test to Rupp Tonight, and Kentucky's Turnovers Are the Thing to Watch

No. 23 Kentucky gets a big step up in competition tonight when No. 19 Texas Tech comes to Rupp Arena for the second of the Cats' three exhibition games. Tip is 7 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. MT. The game doesn't count toward either team's record, but it's the first time this young UK team sees a ranked opponent.

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
TV/stream: SEC Network+, which streams on ESPN+ and the ESPN app (it is not on the cable SEC Network channel). Radio: UK Sports Network. Venue: Rupp Arena, Lexington.

WHAT WE LEARNED LAST WEEK
Kentucky beat Little Rock 69-49 in the exhibition opener. Milan Momcilovic led the way with 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting from three, Alex Wilkins added 11 and Mason Williams 10. The defense was the story, holding Little Rock to 2-of-20 from deep with nine steals and eight blocks (UK Athletics, Sports Illustrated). The offense was the problem: 19 turnovers.

WHO TEXAS TECH IS WITHOUT
The Red Raiders will be shorthanded. All-American J.T. Toppin, who tore his ACL last season, still isn't cleared, and On3 reports Jamichael Stillwell's status is in doubt. That still leaves a veteran, guard-heavy group led by Darrion Williams, Cruz Davis, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Donovan Atwell, who averaged 13.5 points a game last season, plus top-30 freshman guard Dakari Spear.

POPE VS. MCCASLAND
Mark Pope went 0-2 against Grant McCasland in his last season at BYU, including a loss in Lubbock after leading by 16 at halftime (On3). Pope called this a 'perfect' exhibition matchup: 'This Texas Tech team is a gravity team. They're a little bit like us. They shoot the ball incredibly well, which means you have to guard in space.'

KEYS FOR KENTUCKY
1. Take care of the ball. Nineteen turnovers beat nobody good, and Texas Tech wants to run.
2. Transition defense. Pope said himself that the Red Raiders' pace will test it.
3. Guard the three-point line in space. Little Rock couldn't make shots; Texas Tech made 11.3 threes a game last season (BlueBook).

INJURY WATCH
Kam Williams (foot), Trent Noah (hamstring) and Jerone Morton (knee) didn't play against Little Rock. As of Thursday, Williams and Noah were listed week-to-week, per BlueBook's availability notes. We'll update at tip.

Our Take: the score doesn't matter tonight, but the turnover number does. If Kentucky keeps last week's defense and cuts the giveaways to single digits against a ranked team, that's the growth Pope is looking for.

Sources: UK Athletics · On3 · Sports Illustrated · BlueBook