Mark Pope loves Kentucky's improvements in rebounding numbers

Pope challenged the team after the season-opener, and they are responding.

Nov 22, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope smiles during the second half against the Jackson State Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky is coming off of another win, this time against the in-state Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. The Wildcats didn't shoot the ball well, at 40% overall and 28% from three-point range, but their impressive defense was the story of the game. They held the Hilltoppers to just 32% overall and 15% from deep. It was an impressive showing on that side of the ball aside from a cold shooting night.

With the impressive defense, the Wildcats also capitalized on the glass, outrebounding WKU 54-41, with a 16-12 advantage on the offensive end and 38-29 on the defensive glass. The Hilltoppers' physicality really affected the Wildcats on offense, but that didn't stop their efforts on defense and the glass. After the game, Mark Pope talked about the Wildcats' impressive rebounding efforts against a good rebounding team in WKU.

"Tonight (Tuesday), being dominant on the glass and imposing our will physically was really, really important and I thought our guys did that. You know, for Amari to play semi-limited minutes, it was under 20 and have 10 rebounds, and for Andrew Carr to get 10 and for us to be at 54 as a team is really, really important for us. One of the numbers that we love is we are a 16 offensive rebound team by four. You know, shooting 40% from the field and we out offensive rebound Western Kentucky, which is a really good offensive rebound team, by four, and they shot 32% right? They had more opportunities. Those numbers are really important for us and the fact that we can go grind out a game and win it. It's awesome. This is really important. I'm really proud of our guys."

- Pope on Kentucky's rebounding efforts.

Mark Pope challenged this Kentucky team at the beginning of the season to get better at rebounding, and man, they have really answered that call. They are honing in on specific areas to improve, and the rebounding improvements are showing.