Seemingly to a man, members of this year’s Kentucky basketball team heard the outside noise — which was supported by facts — surrounding the Wildcats’ lack of physicality to begin SEC play.
Sure, UK won its SEC opener earlier this month against Florida in an offensive shootout at Rupp Arena, but the Cats got worked on the glass: The Gators pulled down 15 offensive rebounds and held a 31-12 advantage in second-chance points
When Kentucky suffered a setback in its first road game of league play — an 82-69 loss at Georgia on Jan. 7 — that narrative grew. Georgia outrebounded UK by a 41-34 margin, with three Bulldogs claiming at least seven rebounds.
“Clearly that’s a major, major issue for us, is this glass,” a stern-faced Mark Pope said after that loss.
Questions soon followed about whether or not Pope’s Kentucky squad had the right disposition to handle the rigors of rough-and-tumble SEC play this season.
And over the past few days, Pope’s charges have responded in a big way to those who doubted their toughness on the boards.
Saturday’s five-point victory at now-No. 15 Mississippi State saw the Wildcats win the rebounding battle by eight, 41-33.
Pope’s team answered the bell again Tuesday night at Rupp Arena, passing an even sterner examination of their physicality in a 81-69 triumph against No.
By any measurable statistic, Kentucky had its way rebounding against Texas A&M, a team universally recognized as the best in the country on the glass.
overall 40-30. The Wildcats had 12 offensive rebounds to the Aggies’ 11. The Cats won second-chance points, too, with 13 of those compared to A&M’s 11.
It was a display of force against an A&M squad that entered the game ranked first in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage (44.4%).
“When our guys dig into a focus, it might not be an immediate payoff in a day,” Pope said Tuesday about UK’s rebounding. “But over the course of a week or two weeks or a month, these guys, every single time, have kind of answered the bell and actually got better.”
