What we're eager to see against Purdue

mark-pope-kentucky-purdue-georgetown-exhibitions-preseason-early-test — Mar 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) reacts against Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) in the second half during a Midwest Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Kentucky has its first exhibition game before the 2025-26 regular season tonight and it’s not just any old exhibition game.

The Wildcats are playing host to the Purdue Boilermakers, a team that many believe is a leading national championship contender.

The game won’t count as a win or loss for either team but we could learn a lot. Follow along with the action on the SEC Network and discuss it at all Cats Illustrated.

Here’s what CI’s Jeff Drummond and Justin Rowland are eager to see in the game.

Jeff Drummond: The biggest thing I’m looking forward to seeing tonight is how all of these parts function together against a good opponent. Everyone was impressed by the job Mark Pope & Co. did in the transfer portal, but the individual parts need to be able to function together. That’s a big ask on Oct. 24 against a Purdue team with this much talent and experience, including arguably the nation’s top point guard in Braden Smith. I’m also curious to see if Pope gets more of the tempo and 3-point shooting volume he desires from this personnel. Will Trent Noah be able to get good looks from the arc, and if Purdue tries to run him off the line, will he be able to create off the bounce? What will Year 2 in the system look like for players like Collin Chandler and Brandon Garrison?

Justin Rowland: Kentucky could win by 20 or lose by 20 and it wouldn’t cause me to reflect too much on any priors. There are weeks remaining before the season and you see how much college basketball teams change and evolve over the course of the year. One game isn’t enough of a sample to read into the overall team shooting or how far they’re going to go, so I will just be watching each individual Wildcat closely to try and pick up on strengths or flaws that Mark Pope will have to consider as he builds this team moving forward. With Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance both out it’s not worth angst if there is a learning curve. It will be interesting to see how well Kentucky comes out and guards Purdue. We know the Boilermakers run some phenomenal sets so that will be a major test for a UK team that has a lot of new parts, but one that was designed with defense in mind.