The Struggles of Kentucky’s Opening SEC Game

Kentucky’s Big Blue Nation was left scratching their heads when the starting lineup was once again questioned during the team’s SEC opener against Alabama. Coach Mark Pope made a decision that baffled fans, choosing to start a five-man group that didn’t include key players like Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance. Despite the full roster being healthy and available, the starting five consisted of Denzel Aberdeen, Collin Chandler, Otega Oweh, Mo Dioubate, and Malachi Moreno.

To their credit, Aberdeen managed to hit two free throws and Chandler knocked down a three-pointer in the first 56 seconds, giving Kentucky an early 5-0 lead. However, this momentum quickly dissipated. When asked about his unusual starting decisions, Pope referenced the initial moments of the game as evidence that his team wasn’t starting slowly.

“Yeah, it’s interesting,” he told KSR. “Because our first two or three minutes was solid, and then we just — we just hit a wall.”

This explanation, however, doesn’t quite hold up. Kentucky gave up those five points right back in the next minute, and then didn’t score another basket until the 14:54 mark of the first half—after Lowe and Quaintance finally entered the game. By that point, Alabama had taken a 9-5 lead, flipping the momentum entirely. The Crimson Tide extended their lead to double digits with 8:24 remaining in the first half and eventually built a 21-point advantage with 2:22 left on the clock.

This kind of performance has become all too familiar for Kentucky under Pope’s coaching. The Wildcats have trailed by 20-plus points in four of six games against ranked competition. Since Pope took over at Kentucky, they’ve trailed by 20-plus points eight times, resulting in eight losses. It seems clear that allowing opponents to build large leads is not working for this team.

I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time for Kentucky to stop giving good teams massive advantages. Playing their best players from the opening tip would give them the best chance to avoid these deficits.

Pope did say he’s considering changing this approach moving forward.

“Yes, for sure, we’re considering that all the time.”

That’s great to hear, though it’s hard to be overly optimistic given the track record.

A Look at Past Lineups

There was a moment when fans thought things might change. During the second half of a game against St. John’s in Atlanta, a specific lineup led the charge on a double-digit comeback. That group included Lowe, Oweh, Kam Williams, Dioubate, and Quaintance. They went on a 10-0 run and outscored St. John’s 24-6 to turn the game into a 78-66 victory.

However, this successful lineup only played together for one whole minute at Alabama overall, and never started the game.

Pope provided a more detailed explanation for his starting decisions earlier in the week. He mentioned that it was partly about injury maintenance and rewarding players who had been consistently practicing.

“The thinking behind that is like, let’s protect the integrity of the group that we have getting most of the reps in practice to actually be able to go perform on the court, just to give some continuity,” Pope said. “That might not be the right answer. We’re going to kind of explore that as we go. It also gives you a chance to maybe extend (Lowe’s) healthy window — which we’re hoping is going to be the entire season — by not being the headline guy at the beginning of a scout.”

While this reasoning sounds logical on the surface, it hasn’t translated into success on the court. Protecting the integrity of the practice group continues to result in Kentucky being buried in the first half.

Final Thoughts

Pope’s final words on his postgame radio show with Tom Leach further highlighted the issues facing the program. His media efforts were seen as unacceptable and pouty, with him spending only nine total minutes across that interview and his postgame press conference.

“Our games have got to start better,” he said.

Starters do, in fact, impact starting better. It’s a simple idea, but one that seems to be overlooked.