Kentucky scored early and often in cruising to a 94-66 exhibition win over Transylvania at Rupp Arena on Friday night.
The Wildcats had seven players finish in double figures, with freshman forward EJ Montgomery leading the way with 14 points while also adding nine rebounds.
Nick Richards, Quade Green, and Keldon Johnson each scored 13.
First Team All-SEC preseason selection Reid Travis posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
Michael Jefferson paced Transylvania with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Kentucky shot 56.9 percent from the floor and 75.0 percent from the charity stripe, but did struggle from beyond the arc in making just one of 13 attempts.
John Calipari’s team grabbed a 52-18 edge on the glass, including 16 offensive rebounds.
The Wildcats will return to the court next Friday against Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Lovell’s Analysis
This game went about like you’d expect when you consider that it involved a top-five team vs. a Division III school.
Of course, it also reinforced what we already knew: the Wildcats are loaded with talent.
The frontcourt depth on this team is tremendous, as shown by the excellent scoring and rebounding balance.
What may be worth watching is the 1 for 13 performance from 3-point range since that’s been an issue at times in recent years.
However, it’s only one exhibition game, and there’s no reason to rush to judgment just yet when it comes to Kentucky’s outside shooting abilities.
This is undoubtedly one of the most loaded teams in college basketball, and the Nov. 6 showdown against Duke will be a lot of fun to watch.