The Kentucky Wildcats will conclude their exhibition season on Thursday night against the Georgetown Hoyas before the season opener next week.
Last Friday, Kentucky knocked off the No.1 preseason team, the Purdue Boilermakers, and put a stamp on the basketball world with their performance.
The brightest spots of the game were the Kentucky freshmen showing out: Jasper Johnson finished with 15 points, and Malachi Moreno chipped in with 8 points and four rebounds.
This wasn’t a regular-season game, only an exhibition, but the future is bright if the Wildcats can figure out how to play together with a win over an excellent Purdue team.
Georgetown and Kentucky have faced each other only twice in their program histories. The first matchup occurred during the regular season of the 1921-22 season, where Georgetown won 28-23. The second meeting took place during the Final Four in 1984.
In that game, Kentucky initially controlled the first half but went cold in the second half, ultimately losing 53-40 to Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, who went on to win the National Championship.
One of the most incredible things about this matchup is the fact that there’s a lot of history between the programs, and getting the opportunity to face each other again for the first time since 1984 is quite the treat for the fans.
The Hoyas are led by third-year coach Ed Cooley, who was once the Providence coach, and Kentucky defeated him the first time back in 2023, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 61-53 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Junior Malik Mack, a top performer, returns to lead the team with an impressive 12.9 points per game. The squad has also welcomed Langston Love, a promising addition from Baylor.
With these key players and the team’s significant improvement, there’s a sense of optimism for the Hoyas’ upcoming season.
Another contributor that will be beneficial for the Hoyas is Vincent Iwuchukwu, a transfer from St John’s Red Storm, a true rim protector for Cooley and staff to build on.
Also added KJ Lewis, a transfer from Arizona who averaged 10.8 points per game, is an excellent defender, and will see significant minutes.
Back from last year, the team includes Caleb Williams, who started 14 games as a freshman and averaged 4.3 points per game, and will bring the experience needed for the frontcourt.
The one factor in all of Kentucky’s upcoming games is that the Wildcats will be without Jaland Lowe, one of their stars, and Jayden Quaintance in the frontcourt. With Lowe’s absence, expect Jasper Johnson and Denzel Aberdeen to take up the slack at the point.
Mark Pope added an even more encouraging update, saying Lowe returned to full-speed shooting the ball, but that they will still hold him out of live contact for at least a week as a precaution.
Next man up mentality, and if the Wildcats play with the energy they showed against Purdue, getting Lowe back will be even better in the near future.
The college basketball season is about to come full circle, and many fans are excited and expecting major expectations for this Kentucky Wildcat team.
Next Tuesday is the season opener against Nicholls State Colonels, and the wait for tip has been a long, winding summer, but we are here. Time to party!
For more coverage of Jon, Click here. Kentucky Sends Message To College Basketball World With Win Over Purdue
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