The Kentucky Wildcats are scheduled to play in an exciting exhibition game tonight ahead of the real start of the season.
The Wildcats face off against Wright State on November 4th to initially tip-off the 2024 basketball season. Ahead of the regular season opener, Kentucky is scheduled to play a visiting Minnesota State-Mankato in an exhibition game. The Wildcats are expected to play their starting lineup during the game, which could garner a similar result to the game the Duke Blue Devils had.
The Kentucky Wildcats have already played an exhibition game to prepare for the season against the Wesleyan Panthers. The game went about as expected, with the Wildcats dominating the Panthers at every turn of the contest. Guards Lamont Butler and Collin Chandler excited for the team in particular, and aim to do so against versus Minnesota State-Mankato.
The Wildcats underwent serious changes to their identity this offseason after legendary coach John Calipari announced he was accepting the Arkansas Razorbacks job. Kentucky quickly searched for a replacement as all but two players left the roster. Guards Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn remained following the coaching change.
Kentucky hired former BYU Cougars coach Mark Pope, who posted a career 110-52 record with the Cougars. Pope had two March Madness appearances with BYU as well as an NIT run to the quarterfinals, with his best season being cut short due to COVID-19.
With a new roster and new minds surrounding the team, Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats aim to display quite the powerful team this season.
Who Will Start For the Kentucky Wildcats During the 2024 Season?
While an exact starting lineup has not been confirmed, the ideal starting lineup for the Kentucky Wildcats seems evident after the last exhibition game.
With how things have shaken out throughout the offseason, the likely starting lineup for the Wildcats would be the following: Lamont Butler, Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr, and Brandon Garrison.
Butler is an experienced and crafty point guard on offense, and an all-conference defender with the ability to take the basketball away. Pope played against Butler in the past and has plenty of experience with the athlete, which has allowed the coach to understand his game on a great level.
Robinson is another player Pope knows very well as the player followed his coach to the Kentucky Wildcats. Robinson was the Sixth Man of the Year in the Big 12 Conference, but now as he joins his fourth school the guard could find his skills more useful in the starting lineup.
Oweh played last season with the Oklahoma Sooners, recording 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and a field goal percentage of 49.3%. Oweh did not shoot the ball nearly as much as he did two seasons ago during the 2023 season, but offers plenty of defense to an offense-rich team.
Carr played a season ago for Wake Forest and was quite the slick big man, shooting 52.6% from the floor in total. Carr is not the greatest shooter accuracy wise, but his ability to knock down deep shots or create a crafty finish at the rim makes the forward dangerous.
The final likely starter is Garrison, a former top recruit for Oklahoma State who recorded three 20 point games for the Cowboys a season ago. The powerful big man combines an ability to finish at the rim with an array of post moves to create one dangerous offensive presence.
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