Kentucky Is 9 Deep and Still Missing 3: How the Cats Are Shaping Up

Two exhibitions down, one to go, and Friday's 76-65 win over No. 19 Texas Tech gave us the clearest look yet at what Mark Pope's third Kentucky team actually is. Not the final product. But the outline is there, and most of it looks good.

**The rotation: nine deep, eight that matter**
Pope started Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Milan Momcilovic, Ousmane N'Diaye and Malachi Moreno, the same five who opened the second half. Mason Williams and Justin McBride were the first two off the bench at the 14:06 mark of the first half. Nine Cats played. Moreno (35 minutes) and Momcilovic (34) carried the heaviest loads, with Wilkins at 29, N'Diaye at 28, Williams at 27 and Diallo at 22. McBride played 12, Braydon Hawthorne 8 and Franck Kepnang 5.

That's an eight-man rotation in practice, with Hawthorne and Kepnang as the ninth-man options. With three scholarship players still out, that's about what you'd expect.

**Standouts**
- **Mason Williams** is forcing his way into the closing group. The freshman had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 27 minutes off the bench, and he didn't turn it over once. When Texas Tech tied it at 54, he answered with a three, a steal that set up a Moreno free throw, and a jumper in the lane for a 60-54 lead. That's a closer's sequence.
- **Malachi Moreno** was the steadiest Cat on the floor: 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, six rebounds, three assists and zero fouls in 35 minutes.
- **Milan Momcilovic** scored 15 on only five shots, going 7-for-7 at the line, and his corner three was part of the 15-0 first-half run that flipped the game. His three with 1:45 left made it 73-63.
- **Alex Wilkins** turned a shaky start into 13 points and seven assists, including the two late threes that pushed the lead to 70-61.
- **Ousmane N'Diaye** added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

**Concerns**
- **Early ball security.** At the 7:29 TV timeout of the first half, UK had seven turnovers to Texas Tech's one, and Diallo and Wilkins had five of them between them. To their credit, the Cats committed only four turnovers over the final 29 minutes, but 11 total against a ranked team is still the number to watch.
- **Three-point shooting.** This roster was built to shoot, and it went 7-of-24 (29.2 percent). The first half was 1-of-11. N'Diaye was 1-of-7 from deep.
- **Holding a lead.** Kentucky led 47-35 early in the second half and let Texas Tech tie it at 52 with 8:52 left. Closing the game the way they did is encouraging. Needing to close it is the lesson.

**What's working**
Free throws and defense. Kentucky went 19-of-22 at the line while Texas Tech attempted only six. UK had 18 assists on 25 made baskets. Through two exhibitions, opponents are shooting 36 percent from the field and 20 percent from three (10-of-50), according to UK's postgame notes.

**Injury report**
Three Cats sat again: Trent Noah (hamstring), Kam Williams (foot) and Jerone Morton (knee). Before the game, a UK spokesman said Kam Williams "is week-to-week" and has started his progression back to practice. Noah is also week-to-week with "no hard timeline on his return." Morton has been re-evaluated by doctors, and the school said he's still a little away. On3's read is that all three will likely miss the rest of the exhibition schedule, with Kam Williams closest to returning.

On Noah specifically: after the Little Rock exhibition on Oct. 16, Pope's estimate was several weeks to a month. That window runs right up against the Nov. 3 opener, so plan on Kentucky starting the season without him and treat his return as a bonus, not a deadline.

**Our Take:** Kentucky is shaping up as a deep, balanced team that defends and gets to the line, with a freshman who already looks like a closer. The guards' ball security and the threes are the two things that have to improve before the games count. Get Kam Williams back on schedule and this rotation gets a lot scarier.

**What's next**
UCF visits Rupp Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network to close out exhibition play. What the Cats need to show: a clean first 10 minutes from Diallo and Wilkins, threes that start falling, and a firmer answer on who joins Mason Williams in the closing five. The regular season opens Tuesday, Nov. 3, against Manhattan at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.

GO CATS.

Sources: UK Athletics recap · UK Athletics postgame notes · Official box score · KSR/On3 injury update · Herald-Leader, Mark Story · UK Athletics schedule