If there was anything that stood out in Tuesday night’s 77-51 win over Nicholls, it’s that the Kentucky Wildcats’ defense is going to be really good this season. It doesn’t matter what team you’re playing;
holding an opponent to 3-25 shooting in the first half is insanely good.
Consider, first, that Nicholls’s 51 points Tuesday night is the fewest the Wildcats have allowed in any game since Mark Pope took over as head coach. Kentucky is now 13-0 when holding an opponent to under 70 points.
The Colonels only scored 15 points in the first half Tuesday night. That’s the lowest point total in the first half for any team since Abilene Christian tallied 13 in the first half of an NCAA Tournament game on March 21, 2019. Worth noting, 2019 was the last time Kentucky went to the Elite Eight.
In addition, 15 points is the fewest for a UK opponent in one half in Rupp Arena since Eastern Kentucky scored 14 in the first half on Dec. 7, 2014. We all know how that team did that season.
One area where the Wildcats are going to excel this season is rebounding. Tuesday night, they out-rebounded Nicholls 51-30. That includes 36-25 in defensive rebounds.
Five players had five+ rebounds: Brandon Garrison (five), Mouhamed Dioubate (seven), Denzel Aberdeen (five), Andrija Jelavic (five), and Malachi Moreno (nine). Dioubate, Aberdeen, and Moreno each had five rebounds.
Defense is going to be this Wildcats team’s calling card, potentially. Once the offense catches up to it, this team is going to be dangerous.
