Kentucky Basketball fans are accustomed to seeing a parade of substitutions for Mark Pope. He is someone who believes in analytics heavily, and he thinks guys play better in short bursts.
Last season, the Wildcats utilized a deep rotation where 10 different players averaged over 15 minutes per game. But if tonight’s second exhibition game against Texas Tech is any indication, Mark Pope is operating with a much different philosophy.
A glance at the box score against the Red Raiders reveals a tight timeshare
for an exhibition contest.
Malachi Moreno logged a massive 35 minutes, while Milan Momcilovic was right behind him with 34. In total, six Wildcats played 22 minutes or more, with Alex Wilkins (29), Ousmane Ndiaye (28), and Mason Williams (27) all seeing heavy action.
Pope only utilized a nine-man rotation, and three of those bench players saw 12 minutes or less, so it was really six players.
Compare that to the second exhibition game of last season against Georgetown. The minutes were spread evenly across the entire active roster. Nine different players saw between 14 and 28 minutes of action, and not a single player crossed the 30-minute threshold.
That is a classic exhibition timeshare designed to give everyone a look.
Context certainly matters, and the current rotation is undoubtedly being squeezed by injuries. Being without Jerone Morton, Trent Noah, and Kam Williams takes a significant chunk of depth away from Pope’s bench.
However, even factoring in those absences, it is highly unusual to see starters playing 34 and 35 minutes in an exhibition game.
You would typically expect a coach to dig deeper into the end of the bench or manage the starters’ loads in a game that doesn’t count. Instead, Pope is clearly honing in on his core guys, using these games to build chemistry and condition his primary unit rather than handing out participation minutes.
If this timeshare trend continues into the regular season, it would be a huge departure for a coach who typically likes to spread the minutes around.
