Kentucky prepares for 'Gonzaga vibe' in 'really fun' matchup vs. Valparaiso

It was a tale of two halves for Kentucky in the opener vs. Nicholls, struggling to get much of anything going offensively in the first 20 minutes before ramping things up in the final 20. Defense was a massive improvement from what we saw in the exhibition loss to Georgetown and 1-0 is 1-0, but plenty to work on and learn from after officially tipping off the season.

What did film reveal about the 77-51 win over the Colonels?

“A lot,” Mark Pope said Thursday. “It was kind of like — we were a little bit of a bumbling mess, which happens sometimes. It was everything.”

Plays were there, but execution was poor. And Nicholls deserves credit for mucking things up and causing a lot of those issues. Elsewhere, some of it was self-inflicted.

“We actually had some good possessions where we just didn’t finish them,” Pope continued. “We had some real stagnation. We had some misreads — their defensive package was solid. I think for us, we didn’t convert on offensive rebound opportunities. We missed some free throws. It was a lot of different things, but mostly it was just us kind of establishing a feel for the game and really dialing in on being incredibly aggressive and making plays for our teammates.”

Up next: Valparaiso (1-0) in the BBN United Tipoff Classic, live at 7 p.m. ET inside Rupp Arena. The Beacons defeated Brescia 104-62 in an exhibition matchup, followed by a 66-63 win over Eastern Illinois — Kentucky’s opponent next week.

What does Pope know about the team coached by Roger Powell Jr., now in his third season leading the program with a 23-44 overall record?

“Good team, good team,” Pope said. “They put up a ton of pace, they really try and hurt you in transition. They’re so aggressive on the offensive glass — 16 offensive rebounds in their opener. Their offensive rebound rate was close to 35%. They’re really great in transition, they really go with the glass, they have some physicality to them, bigs that can make plays.”

He compared the MVC foe to another future UK opponent, one the Wildcats will see in Nashville early next month and has been a thorn in the program’s side, needing an 18-point second-half comeback to earn the win last season.

It’s not the same as the Zags, obviously, but there are overlaps and similarities to monitor as we prepare for Friday night at Rupp.

“They’re kind of a little bit of a Gonzaga vibe in the way they play — the pace, they play with some of the same basic actions that they run,” Pope said. “Their transition continuity is very similar. It’ll be a great game, it should be a really fun game. It’s going to be a physical, competitive game from a team that’s a storied program. It’s got a great history.”

Kentucky is 2-0 all-time against Valpo, earning wins back in 2016 (87-63) and 2001 (83-68). Can the Wildcats make it a third? We’ll find out tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET, live on SEC Network+ with Andrew Kappes and Travis Ford on the call.