Mo Dioubate posted a double-double vs. EIU, but Mark Pope wants more from him defensively

Collin Chandler might have been named the MVP of the BBN United Tipoff Classic Presented by Kentucky Tourism, but Mo Dioubate was the single-game MVP on Friday night.

Dioubate posted his seventh career double-double and first as a Wildcat in Kentucky’s 99-53 win over Eastern Illinois in Rupp Arena. The Alabama transfer went for 20 points and 11 rebounds on 8-9 shooting, his lone miss a three-pointer from the corner. Dioubate bullied his way right through a smaller Panthers team, finishing nothing but layups and dunks. Four of his rebounds came on the offensive glass. He also added two blocks, two steals, and an assist to his 22-minute stat line.

This was the exact type of performance Dioubate was expecting out of himself when he left a good situation with the Crimson Tide for what he envisioned would be an even better situation in Lexington.

“I was just looking for a better opportunity, honestly,” Dioubate said postgame. “Looking for a coach to believe in me and to help me get to the next level. Tonight, it was a representation of the reps and the work that I put in over the summer. Hopefully I can get more games like this. I gotta stay more consistent on the rebounds. And the points, that’s just gonna come with the flow of the game.”

Dioubate’s 20 points were just two shy of his career-high 22, which he dropped against Vanderbilt back in January while still with Alabama. It was just his second-ever 20-point college outing. At least through four games at Kentucky, he’s mostly lived up to the hype as the physical, athletic, tone-setter (on both ends of the floor) that the Wildcats were missing last season.

But his head coach still wants more. Mark Pope gave Dioubate some praise in his Eastern Illinois postgame press conference, but not without some criticism, focusing particularly on the defensive side.

“I was proud of his focus,” Pope said of Dioubate. “I didn’t think he was great defensively in the first half. He imprinted his self on the game on the offensive glass. In the beginning of the second half, I felt like he finally got around to having some impact defensively. I think we are leaving a lot on the table in terms of how disruptive we can be. And so, I thought he made some progress towards that.

“It’s going to be a big deal for him. Him and Otega (Oweh) should be vying for the best defensive players in the country right now. So far, they haven’t been close. And that’s ok. But for us to be great, they got to get there. And I thought we saw some good signs from Mo in that respect.”

The defense might still be a work in progress, but Dioubate has clearly found the better opportunity he was searching for. He averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16 minutes per game last season at Alabama. Through four games as a Wildcat, he’s up to per-game averages of 12 points and 6.8 rebounds in 20 minutes. The threes aren’t falling early (1-7 so far; six of his nine misses on the season have been from deep), but he’s still shooting 67.9 percent overall from the field.

The best is still yet to come for the New York native, who will return home on Tuesday when Kentucky takes on No. 17 Michigan State inside Madison Square Garden.

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