3-Point Arc: What to watch in Kentucky's Blue-White Scrimmage

Kentucky fans will get their first extended look at the Wildcats in action when they take the floor at Historic Memorial Coliseum on Friday in the annual Blue-White Scrimmage. In this edition of Cats Illustrated’s “3-Point Arc,” we touch on three things we’ll be watching closely in the event…

1. How Much Oweh?

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope revealed at SEC Media Days that senior guard Otega Oweh has returned to full action at practice after being sidelined for almost 10 weeks with a turf toe injury. That ailment can linger if not treated with significant rest, and it’s clear the UK training staff exercised an abundance of caution with the preseason SEC Player of the Year. With the regular season looming in just over two weeks, it stands to reason that Pope would like to get Oweh back into game shape, but how many minutes (if any?) should they dedicate to a scrimmage? Everyone knows what to expect from Oweh in terms of his play this season — there will be very little to be gleaned from his performance on Friday — but the conditioning aspect could be key with a Nov. 11 matchup against arch-rival Louisville rapidly approaching.

2. The 5 Spot

Based on numerous reports from workouts at the Craft Center, there is a surprisingly good battle going on between junior Brandon Garrison and freshman Malachi Moreno at the center spot while Jayden Quaintance continues to rehab from knee surgery. With the departure of Amari Williams to the NBA and Quaintance’s healthy return likely slated for December, one may have assumed that Garrison had that spot locked down entering the season. But Moreno, a McDonald’s All-American from Great Crossing High School just outside of Lexington, has developed at a much faster pace than most observers would have imagined — even the coach who signed him. Pope said during SEC Media Days that Garrison and Moreno are benefiting greatly from getting all of the preseason reps and pushing each other hard. Garrison has reportedly gotten into phenomenal shape, and Moreno has offered scoring ability from the post to the arc while also being one of the Cats’ top rebounders. That matchup will be fun to watch on Friday.

3. The Other “Point Guards”

Jaland Lowe was one of the Wildcats’ big transfer portal additions, bringing averages of 16.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.8 steals from his All-ACC sophomore season at Pittsburgh. He is UK’s clear-cut starter at point guard entering the 2025-26 season. But who is the main backup? Travis Perry and Kerr Kriisa both transferred in the offseason, and there is not another “pure” point guard on the UK roster, so those duties might be shared by players who will likely see more action on the wings: Denzel Aberdeen, Collin Chandler, Jasper Johnson, and Oweh. One of those guys — our bet is Aberdeen — will likely have to log a lot of minutes in that spot on Friday opposite Lowe. He occasionally served that role during his time at Florida and is hailed by the UK staff as a high-IQ player who thrives under pressure. With the number of injury issues that UK faced last season, Pope needs to have a reliable backup ready to go.

And-1…

We’ll add an extra category for this edition of the “3-Point Arc.” How effective will the Cats be at getting up the number of treys that Pope & Co. want to see this season? Kentucky never consistently reached that 30-plus goal that the boss craved last season, but a big part of that was due to personnel that allowed defenses to “chase” the Cats off the line. A big priority in recruiting was to find versatile guards who could both provide a 3-point threat and be able to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket when defenses overplayed the arc. Guys like Lowe, Aberdeen, Johnson, and Kam Williams should help quite a bit in that regard. An improved Chandler in Year 2 could also give the Cats more options, as could sophomore Trent Noah, who put on a shooting show during Big Blue Madness. On Friday, keep an eye out for how many good looks the Cats see from the outside, and when the defense chooses to extend, can they create off the bounce and either finish in the paint or dish to an open teammate?