Wright State's head coach shared what makes Kentucky so dangerous

Kentucky is going to be hard to stop all season long.

Kentucky's Amari Williams (22) slammed down two points during the Wildcats' season-opening game against Wright State at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. on November 4, 2024. / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the best parts of Kentucky's win over Wright State was the way center Amari Williams played in the win. Williams had 12 points on 5-6 shooting to go with 13 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block.

After the game, Wright State head coach Clint Sargent was asked if the play of Williams caught him by surprise. The Raiders coach had this to say, “No, you just have to give so much attention to their shooters. He is dangerous off all those staggers, away screens, and ball screens. We really wanted to do a great job of taking away threes, which I think they had four in the first half. If you are taking away threes, you're spread out, giving up. This is traditionally not how we guard. We want to be in gaps, but you can't. I thought he benefited from how we guarded all of the perimeter action.”

This quote from the head coach of Wright State should have Kentucky fans fired up because it shows just how lethal this offense is. Coaches just can't focus on one player. If they focus on the big guys, it will lead to open threes. If they focus on stopping the shooters, it will lead to open lanes for Otega Oweh getting to the rim and open looks for the bigs.

It is going to be really hard for opposing teams to prepare for the Wildcats because they can beat a team in so many different ways. It was great to see the coaching genius of Mark Pope on display vs. Wright State.