Kentucky looks to respond with 'great challenge' against Eastern Illinois

The day that everyone has waited anxiously for is finally here: the final game of the BBN United Tipoff Classic Presented by Kentucky Tourism is tonight.

Kentucky is 2-0 in this event already, having beaten Nicholls 77-51 in the season-opener, followed up by a 107-59 win over Valparaiso a few days later. The lone opponent remaining is the Eastern Illinois Panthers, which will bring a 1-2 record into Rupp Arena on Friday night (7:00 p.m. ET | SEC Network+). A win for the Wildcats would crown them the champion of the BBN United Tipoff Classic — just don’t expect any net-cutting or banner-raising afterward if that happens.

Eastern Illinois went 1-1 against Nicholls and Valpo, beating the former 65-57 shortly after losing to the latter, 66-63. The Panthers’ most recent outing came on Tuesday on the road against Notre Dame. EIU came up short 78-58, but it was just a three-point lead for the Fighting Irish at halftime. It wasn’t until midway through the second half that Notre Dame began to run away with the win.

“Really good team,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said of EIU during Thursday’s press conference. “They beat Nicholls, they challenged Notre Dame, gave Notre Dame a good challenge. They’re really an incredibly disciplined team. They run their actions, they screen and cut and move, and it makes sense.

“They can shoot the ball, they have some really aggressive scorers. They have some length and physicality. They’re a really good team and it’s gonna be a great challenge for us Friday. It’ll be a great challenge.”

Kentucky could use a real challenge after giving up 96 points on defense to the Louisville Cardinals a couple of days ago. But in reality, EIU will more so serve as a tune-up game before the ‘Cats head to New York City’s Madison Square Garden next week for a showdown with No. 17 Michigan State. The hope will be that Kentucky buries Eastern Illinois early on Friday in Rupp Arena before cruising to a big win.

Pope can hype up the Panthers in a public setting all he wants, but this is still an opponent that sits lower (No. 312) than both Nicholls (No. 268) and Valpo (No. 286) in the latest KenPom rankings. KenPom projects Kentucky to win 90-58. A blowout is the likeliest (and preferred) option, even in the wake of another Jaland Lowe shoulder injury. But let’s talk a little more about what EIU brings to the table.

For starters, EIU has never beaten a ranked opponent (0-26 all-time) in program history, and No. 9 Kentucky will be the first of three on the schedule this season, along with No. 2 Purdue and No. 16 Iowa State. History will not be on the Panthers’ side come Friday. And neither will the availability report. Eastern Illinois only dressed nine players in the Notre Dame loss. Five players were sidelined going into the game.

One of the nine who did see the floor, however, is a Bluegrass native. Louisville’s own Meechie White, a Male High School graduate, is averaging 5.3 points in 18 minutes per outing. Overall, this is a top-heavy roster, with three guys seeing more than 30 minutes per contest: Zion Fruster (16 PPG in 35.3 MPG), Kooper Jacobi (11.7 PPG in 32 MPG), and Preston Turner (10.7 PPG in 30 MPG). EIU’s tallest rotational piece, Prince Johnson, who averages 2.7 points in 14.7 minutes per game, is only 6-foot-8.

Pope did say that Eastern Illinois can shoot the ball, but he didn’t say they could make shots. The Panthers come into this matchup hitting just 27.1 percent of their outside shots, but they have been holding opponents to a 23.5 percent mark from long range on the other end. At least through three games, this has not been a team with offensive firepower. EIU ranks among the worst teams in college basketball on offense and is just as low when it comes to tempo. They generate a significant chunk of their points from getting to the free-throw line. Being slow is purposeful.

The other end of the floor is where Eastern Illinois has given teams fits. No opponent has scored more than 78 points this season. Teams have struggled to shoot from distance, but expect that to change against Kentucky. EIU is giving up a ton of triples (28.3 per game, to be exact) while UK is coming off back-to-back games where it shot 23-62 (37.1 percent) from beyond the arc.

Even if Lowe is unable to play in this one, Kentucky will have the overwhelming advantage.