Pope is getting through to his players.
Mark Pope wanted more intensity on the offensive glass, and that’s exactly what he got Saturday.
The Kentucky Wildcats have two blowout victories on the season, but those two games were certainly different, despite the same result. In the first battle, Kentucky throttled Wright State 103-62. Otega Oweh led the way with 20 points. The Cats ended with seven offensive rebounds and 34 defensive rebounds.
After the game, Pope asked for more intensity on the glass, and he certainly got it. Against Bucknell, the Wildcats had 35 defensive rebounds and 22 offensive boards, a much more aggressive showing on the glass.
It isn’t about the rebounds though, but it is about how Pope is getting his guys to buy into what he’s preaching. He commented on that following the game and praised his team’s ability to buy into his viewpoint of the game.
“I like how our guys are responding,” Pope said during his postgame press conference. “We’ve been on this rebound issue for 10 days now, and what an epic response. Just a commitment. Guys, as a group, said, ‘Ok, we’re gonna go fix this.’ It’s been really impressive to see when we point our guys in a specific direction about their willingness to commit to it, and that bodes well for us being able to grow throughout the course of the season.”
The Cats have a huge game against the No. 7-ranked Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday. Let’s hope they can stay dominant on the glass against a more aggressive opponent.