Last night, the Kentucky Wildcats held their annual Blue-White scrimmage. This year, it was much different than the past. Along with welcoming in new head coach Mark Pope, the event was not televised, and was a main focal point for boosting the program’s NIL fund, Club Blue. Fans who got to attend to VIP experiences, depending on which ticket package you purchased.
There were three players that stood out among the rest in the scrimmage on Friday night.
Probably the most intriguing and surprising talk of the night was Chandler. There is a lot of optimism about his long-term success, but he showed that success could come a little bit sooner than some thought. He had brilliant flashes in the scrimmage for the White team, and it was an impressive showing. He finished with 19 points as the second leading scorer on the night, shooting 7-10 overall and 4-7 from three-point range. Chandler showed he can attack at all three levels. As someone who took time away from basketball to go on a Morman mission, his performance was very promising for the season.
Carr was probably the most impressive one from the bunch on Friday. As a player who is perfect for Mark Pope’s offensive system, the 6-11 big man was absolutely efficient from the field, and really dominated with his size. He finished with a game-high 25 points on 6-11 shooting and 3-4 from deep. He’s going to be a handful for defenses to guard as a versatile big man. Not only that, but he and Amari Williams actually initiated the offense a couple of times bringing the ball up the floor, and both looked very comfortable and mobile for their size. Carr is expected to be one of Kentucky’s top scorers this season.
Oweh is known for his defense, and he showed just that on Friday night with some impressive plays on offense too. Herecently talked with Kentucky Wildcats on SI at media day about his nickname “Tegatron,” and he lived up to that. He had infectious energy that really carried over to both sides. He had 14 points on 6-12 shooting overall, 7 rebounnds, 4 assists, and a significant impact on the defensive end with 3 steals. Safe to say he’ll be a huge spark off the bench when he isn’t starting.
The Wildcats showed that they are very sound on both sides of the floor, but the offense certainly has fans drooling. The fast pace, non-stop ball movement leading to open looks is going to be exciting to watch this season, especially knowing they have shooters everywhere on the floor.
