FINAL: No. 9 Kentucky impresses with 78-65 exhibition win over No. 1 Purdue

It might have been an exhibition game, but the result will have the Big Blue Nation dreaming of April.

The No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats, missing two potential starters in Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance, took it to the top-ranked Purdue Boilermakers on Friday night in Rupp Arena, closing out a 78-65 win in front of a jam-packed crowd. This one sure didn’t have the feel of a game that won’t count in the win-loss column.

Everyone got in on the action for the ‘Cats. Freshman Jasper Johnson was flashy from start to finish, leading the way with 15 points on 6-10 shooting. Otega Oweh and Trent Noah added 10 points each, while Denzel Aberdeen (the fill-in starter at point guard) wasn’t far behind with nine points, three rebounds, and three assists. Malachi Moreno, Brandon Garrison, Kam Williams, and Mo Dioubate all added at least six points.

Kentucky’s defense might’ve been more impressive, though. Purdue shot just 38.6 percent from the field and 3-17 from long range. Trey Kaufman-Renn was solid with 19 points, but Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer combined to shoot 6-25 from the field. UK finished with more second-chance points, more points in the paint, more bench points, more fastbreak points, and more rebounds than Purdue.

The vibes were very high in Lexington.

You couldn’t ask for a better start to this game if you’re a Kentucky fan. After Purdue opened the night with a three-pointer less than 30 seconds in, the Wildcats responded with an Aberdeen triple, and it was off to the races from there. Oweh and Dioubate chipped in a few buckets to set the tone for UK before Johnson began to enter video game mode. A three from Williams made it 20-12 in favor of the ‘Cats midway through the half.

Purdue would keep it tight, though. It was just a two-point Kentucky lead less than 90 seconds after the ‘Cats went ahead by eight. But UK continued to muster up points by pushing the pace and putting Purdue on its heels. Johnson’s contested side-step three-pointer to give his team a double-digit lead nearly tore the roof off the building. Kentucky took a 38-30 lead into the break behind terrific ball movement, steady defense, and hard floor-running.

To say Rupp Arena was having too much fun through 20 minutes of a preseason game would be a massive understatement.

And the fun would carry over early into the second half, too. Purdue managed to make it a three-point game after the first media timeout before Kentucky hit another groove. The ‘Cats broke out a 12-1 run that was capped by a loud Collin Chandler dunk, leading us into another media timeout. The Boilermakers’ offense began to stall from there, missing seven straight shots at one point. With seven minutes to go, Kentucky was in front 60-50.

The excitement would only continue for BBN as Purdue was clearly wearing down. Five straight points from Garrison made it a 14-point Kentucky lead. Purdue’s field goal drought would continue, too, going nearly seven minutes without making something other than a free throw before finally getting one to drop — only for Noah to respond with a banked-in triple, which Johnson followed up with a corner three.

This time, the roof did come off the building. Kentucky took a 74-57 lead into the final media timeout. Purdue would pour in some garbage time points (not before Johnson lit the crowd up one more time with a tough finish), but the ‘Cats were able to cruise to the win in the end.

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