Cats get out of gates quickly in 107-59 romp over Valpo
LEXINGTON, Ky. — After a sluggish first half earlier this week in its season opener, Kentucky wasted no time in jumping all over Valparaiso on Friday night at Rupp Arena.
The No. 9 Wildcats had 30 points on the board in the first 10 minutes of play, and nine different UK players had recorded a bucket before the Beacons knew what hit them in a 107-59 romp.
“I thought our guys came out with tremendous energy from the get-go,” said second-year Kentucky head coach Mark Pope.
Six players finished in double-figure scoring for Kentucky (2-0), led by freshman center Malachi Moreno with 18 points to go along with a team-high 10 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double.
“He’s been our best rebounder on both sides of the ball pretty consistently from the get-go,” Pope said of the 2025 Kentucky “Mr. Basketball” and McDonald’s All-American from nearby Great Crossing High School. “He’s taking that challenge really seriously, and it’s fun to watch him grow. He’s young, he’s going to have ups and downs. His ceiling is really, really high, and he had a huge impact.”
The Cats also got 15 points from senior guard Otega Oweh, 14 apiece from junior forward Mouhamed Dioubate and sophomore guard Collin Chandler, and 12 each from junior center Brandon Garrison and senior guard Denzel Aberdeen. They just missed a seventh player in double figures as freshman guard Jasper Johnson chipped in with nine.
Kentucky welcomed junior point guard Jaland Lowe back to action after missing both exhibition games and the season opener with a shoulder injury he sustained in the Blue/White Scrimmage. Lowe looked good in his return, scoring six points, dishing out five assists, and committing no turnovers in his 17-plus minutes off the bench.
“That’s going to be a work in progress for sure, but man, he looks sharp,” Pope said. “… He just brings so much to the game. He will open this game up for us and make it a little bit easier. And that’s important.”
On a night when UK recorded its second-highest scoring total under Pope, it was defense that had him even more excited.
Kentucky held Valparaiso to 28.4% from the field (19 of 67) after holding Nicholls to just 30.2% in the first game of the BBN United Tipoff Classic.
“We are trying to live on the defensive end,” Pope said. “… I would like us to keep this standard every single possession for the rest of our lives. And that is our goal. But I was proud of the effort.”
Valparaiso (1-1) was led by freshman guard Rakim Chaney with 15 points and five assists on a 5-of-10 shooting night. He was the lone Beacon in double figures.
*****
In our regular postgame feature, CI touches on some quick-hitters from the UK victory….
GAME BALL:
Malachi Moreno, Kentucky — The freshman center from nearby Georgetown recorded the first of what BBN hopes is many career double-doubles, scoring a team-high 18 points and pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes of action off the bench.
BY THE NUMBERS:
3-0 – Kentucky’s record in the all-time series with Valparaiso with two of the three games played in Lexington.
22-4 – Fast-break points advantage for the Cats.
27 – Assists for Kentucky. Six players recorded at least three. Jaland Lowe and Jasper Johnson each dished out five off the bench.
54.4% – Shooting from the field by the Cats, including 11 of 28 (39%) from beyond the arc.
85% – Free-throw shooting by UK, knocking down 22 of 26 at the line. The Cats were 12-of-22 in the season opener.
20,016 – Attendance at Rupp Arena.
QUOTABLE:
“You know, you think about it, our highest minutes was Collin Chandler at 23 minutes. Otega 20, Malachi at 20, Mo at 20, Jasper at 21, everyone else under 20. So the highest minutes guy was 23, and I still felt like we had fatigue on the floor. It’s a credit to our guys for playing so hard. I’d like to play harder and harder and harder. I think we can do it. I think we squeeze more into every single minute of the game, and I think it feeds everybody.” — UK head coach Mark Pope on using his team’s great depth this season.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday night at Louisville. Tipoff for the Cats and Cards will be 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.