No. 24 Kentucky will aim to right the ship on Friday when the Wildcats return to Lexington, Ky., to host Northern Arizona.
The Wildcats (2-1) fell 89-69 to No. 15 Kansas on Tuesday in the Champions Classic in Chicago. Coach Mark Pope’s team made just 4 of 21 3-point attempts while committing 15 turnovers. While Kansas turned it over 10 times, the victorious Jayhawks outscored the Wildcats 22-0 in points off turnovers.
Zoom Diallo led the Wildcats with 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting, and Malachi Moreno posted 19 points and 10 rebounds as the sophomore post player made eight of his 11 shots. Their teammates, however, combined to make just 9 of 33 shots (27.3%) as the Wildcats never got closer than 10 points after halftime.
Pope called the loss “a brutal lesson,” saying that the team was frustrated by Kansas’ disruptive play, but he was also confident his players would bounce back.
“This is a good group that’s going to learn and respond,” Pope said. “There’ll be some toughness, and they come compete every day in practice. It’ll be a bloody practice tomorrow and Thursday, and then we’ll come to play Friday.
“That’s actually the beauty of the season, and that’s where we are. We’re going to keep learning and growing, and I like this group for it, man. I’m telling you, I’m betting on this group.”
Diallo leads the team at 17.3 points per game. Milan Momcilovic averages 12 points per game but has not hit double figures since scoring 24 in the season-opening win over Manhattan on Nov. 3. Last season’s top 3-point shooter in the nation has also made only 2 of 11 from beyond the arc in Kentucky’s last two games.
Friday’s game against the Wildcats caps a four-game road trip to start the season for Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks (0-3) lost at No. 12 Arizona 90-59 on Tuesday as the hosts shot 61.7% (37 for 60).
Coach Shane Burcar said on his team’s postgame radio show that losing in that manner can cause issues within a team, but he also believes the tough schedule will help them prepare for the Big Sky Conference slate.
“It’s really important that our guys stay confident and believe in themselves because some of these games most certainly can be misleading,” he said.
Chris Komin leads the Lumberjacks and the Big Sky with an average of 20.7 points per game. The guard is shooting 21-for-41 (51.2%) from the field and 7-for-16 (43.8%) from the 3-point arc. He scored 17 points and dished out five assists in the loss to Arizona.
Komin and Ryan Abelman (12.7 ppg) return from a team that went 10-22 last season and finished last in the 10-team Big Sky with a 4-14 record. With the additions of Southern Utah and Utah Tech to the conference for this season, the Lumberjacks were picked to finish 11th in the preseason poll of coaches and media.