As a year of change comes to a close, Mark Pope discusses UK basketball’s win to cap 2024
Kentucky basketball made sure to end 2024 on a high note Tuesday afternoon. The Wildcats dispatched first-time opponent Brown 88-54 in a New Year’s Eve matinee at Rupp Arena behind a balanced scoring effort and disruptive defensive performance.
Four UK players scored in double figures against Brown. Fifth-year forward Andrew Carr led the way with 14 points, all of which came in the first half. Koby Brea, Otega Oweh and Amari Williams each had 13 points.
Mark Pope issued a holiday challenge to his UK basketball team. The Cats met it Tuesday.
Basketball-wise, the Kentucky Wildcats didn’t have much to feel cheerful about over their holiday break. Mark Pope’s team was on the wrong end of a Madison Square Garden mauling four days before Christmas, an 85-65 loss to unranked Ohio State that was stunning in its sheer one-sidedness.
The Cats took a few days away from basketball, as previously planned, to be with their families and celebrate the holidays. When they reconvened in Lexington after that short time off, Pope put them to work.
Mark Pope gushes over Jasper Johnson and Acaden Lewis during their trip to Rupp Arena
While the present is good for Kentucky, with head coach Mark Pope leading the Wildcats to an 11-2 non-conference record in his first season as the Wildcats head coach, Tuesday also offered a glimpse into the future.
During the Wildcats’ 88-54 win over Brown on New Year’s Eve, class of 2025 signees Jasper Johnson and Acaden Lewis were introduced before a crowd of 20,042 at Rupp Arena.
Johnson, at 6-foot-4 and 175 pounds., is a guard from Lexington, while Lewis is a 6-foot-2 180-pound guard from Washington, D.C. They join center Malachi Moreno (Georgetown, Ky.) as the first three members of Kentucky’s 2025 class.
It’s clear that Mark Pope is keeping the pipeline of 5-star recruits, and those in the Bluegrass State, coming to Lexington to play for the eight-time National Champions.
“I got so excited. It was the first time I had seen them on the court together,” Pope said after the win. “I was like, ‘This is going to be SO fun.’ Not even containable. They’re going to work some real magic in the building.”
Four players scored in double figures for the Wildcats on New Year’s Eve afternoon, and the Wildcats turned the ball over just five times while also dishing out 18 assists.
Non-conference play is finished. Now, the good stuff is coming. SEC play opens Saturday morning — yes, you read that correctly — when Kentucky hosts No. 5 Florida at 11 AM ET on ESPN.
A top-10 matchup to open conference play in the best conference in college basketball? This is what you come to Kentucky for.
