On The V Show podcast with Bob Valvano, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas shared his thoughts on Kentucky basketball, offering insight into what makes Mark Pope’s Wildcats a team to watch this season. They go into how Pope has built the roster, and what Kentucky needs to focus on to slow down Louisville.
Bilas started by contrasting Kentucky and Louisville, noting the Cardinals’ focus on chasing three-point shots. He emphasized that Kentucky’s game plan should center around containing Chucky Hepburn, calling him “one of the best defensive guards in the country” with an impressive 3 steals per game. Bilas also highlighted the importance of limiting Louisville’s Reyne Smith from finding rhythm beyond the arc.
Chucky Hepburn was EVERYWHERE in @LouisvilleMBB‘s win over No. 14 Indiana 🔥
16 PTS | 10 AST | 7 STL pic.twitter.com/k4jRBQJGY0
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 27, 2024
When discussing Kentucky’s overall trajectory, Bilas didn’t mince words. “Kentucky is the better team,” he said confidently. “They’re playing well, they have all these older guys—it seems like every one of them is a grad student. They play well together, run really good offense, and they’re fun to watch.” Bilas added that he expects Kentucky to keep improving and remain in contention deep into the season.
Defense ➡️ offense 😤
📺 – ESPNU pic.twitter.com/51w8J6OcMy
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 27, 2024
The conversation shifted to recruiting and how Mark Pope has built this team. Bob Valvano remarked that assembling a roster isn’t like fantasy sports, to which Bilas agreed, crediting Pope’s ability to blend talent and fit. “What Pope has done is blended what Rick Pitino called PHD—poor, hungry, and driven,” Bilas said with anallitcaly smart choices. He praised Kentucky’s use of analytics in identifying players like Amari Williams, noting they prioritize complementary skills like cutting over traditional rankings of who is the better player.
This is Amari Williams at his best. Simple middle handoff and then a HARD roll to the rim. He has started to get a couple of buckets off of this the last couple of games. When he rolls HARD there isn’t much the defense can do. Great job going to get this one and finishing it. pic.twitter.com/xD1KPg5hQ0
— Brandon Ramsey (@BRamseyKSR) December 12, 2024
Kentucky’s roster then is more complimentary of each other. Even though Pope could have taken more “talented” players that are projected to be better overall, the team would ultimately not be as good as it is.
Rather than chasing the highest-rated players, Pope has focused on players who fill specific roles, creating a cohesive team that’s greater than the sum of its parts. For Bilas, it’s this approach that makes Kentucky a legitimate contender to cut the nets down in March.
Fans can listen to the full episode by clicking here
