Mark Pope says Brown is one of the best rim protecting teams Kentucky has faced

The Bears are going to bring explosive offense, post defense into Rupp Arena.

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope calls out to his team during their game against the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats will finally end a 10-day break between games on Tuesday as they welcome in the Brown Bears to Rupp Arena. The Bears have a 7-3 record, coming off of an 87-53 loss to No. 8 Kansas. The 7-3 start to the season is the Bears' best 10-game start since the 2001-02 season. Kentucky is looking for a feel-good victory after the 20-point loss to Ohio State on Dec, 21, and especially one before SEC play begins.

The SEC is going to be an absolute gauntlet, but the Wildcat's can't really look ahead. Mark Pope talked about everything Brown will bring on Tuesday when they face the Wildcats, and the Bears are bringing rim protection and a certain guard who is nicknamed 'Ivy League Iverson' due to his impressive explosiveness. That guard is Kino Lilly Jr., who is the school's all-time leader in made threes with 258 makes in his career. Also notable, he is 43 points away from 2nd all-time in scoring in program history.

"This Brown team is really good, they're really good. They beat an undefeated Rhode Island team. They're really good. They have an incredibly explosive combo guard that is lovingly referred to as 'Ivy League Iverson.' He's terrific, he's dangerous. ...Shoots it anytime, anywhere, all the time. ...Shooting 44% from three off the bounce, shooting 17 shots a game, is incredibly aggressive. Really, really special talent. You don't see this in the Ivy League all the time, but this team is 11, ...as of a week ago, they we're number 11 in blocked shots in the country. They have elite-level rim protection. Really, really great athleticism. They're a team that plays with tremendous pace. They really shoot the ball. ...I'm not sure where Duke is, Duke might be ranked higher, but this is certainly one or two, the best rim protection team we've faced so far."

- Pope on Broiwn

As much as Kentucky has struggled with physicality, they'll need to get the shooting back on track with how well Brown defends the paint. The Wildcats are looking for a feel-good victory over the Bears before welcoming Florida on Saturday to open conference play.