With next week’s matchups against powerhouses North Carolina and Gonzaga looming, No. 19 Kentucky heads into its Thanksgiving break with a home date against Tennessee Tech on Wednesday in Lexington.
The Wildcats (4-2) already have faced a non-conference gauntlet with losses to Louisville and Michigan State and it won’t get any easier next week against two ranked opponents with Final Four aspirations.
First, Kentucky must take care of visiting Tennessee Tech (3-3).
The Golden Eagles recorded their first road win of the season their last time out, beating USC Upstate 88-84 on Nov. 19. Mekhi Cameron led Tennessee Tech with 20 points.
“Our team is still trying to figure itself out,” said Golden Eagles coach John Pelfrey, who starred at Kentucky from 1988-92. “These roles we’re in right now, they’re not quite settled.”
Pelfrey praised Cameron’s effort through the first six games of the season. The veteran wing sustained a serious knee injury last December that Pelfrey said could have been career-threatening.
Cameron instead has bounced back to lead the Golden Eagles with 14.2 points per game. He is one of three scorers averaging in double figures along with JaJuan Nicholls at 11.3 and Dani Pounds at 11.2.
Their win at USC Upstate was the Golden Eagles’ first this season against a Division I opponent. Two of their three losses — at Charlotte on Nov. 7 and vs. West Georgia on Nov. 17 — were by five and two points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Kentucky rebounded from an 83-66 setback on Nov. 18 against Michigan State in New York with an 88-46 blowout of Loyola of Maryland on Friday. Kam Williams and Collin Chandler each scored 13 points to lead five Wildcats in double figures. Seven Kentucky scorers posted at least nine points.
Brandon Garrison came off the bench to grab 11 rebounds, which Kentucky coach Mark Pope called “the best story of the night.”
“If our guys become guys that are like, ‘Hey, it doesn’t matter (if) I’m starting or not starting. It matters what I do with it,” Pope said. “(Garrison) was an incredible example tonight of learning and holding onto that lesson at least for one night.”
Pope adjusted the lineup after Mouhamed Dioubate sustained a serious ankle injury against the Spartans, opting to emphasize perimeter play with Malachi Moreno in the starting five. Moreno finished with 10 points, eight boards and four blocks in 23 minutes.
Moreno is one of five Wildcats scoring in double figures, including Dioubate (11.6). At 10.2 points per game, Moreno joins Chandler at 11.3, Otega Oweh at 12.5 and Denzel Aberdeen at 13.7.
The quartet is pacing Kentucky to an 87.5-point per game average, with the Wildcats ranked No. 12 nationally in KenPom.com adjusted offensive efficiency metrics. In the same category, Tennessee Tech has been among the nation’s least efficient offenses, ranked No. 336.
The Golden Eagles also are committing 16.3 turnovers per game, more than all but 12 teams in Division I.
