Kentucky has been woeful against ranked opponents thus far this season.
With one last chance to earn a marquee nonconference victory, the Wildcats face No. 22 St. John’s on Saturday afternoon in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta.
Kentucky (7-4) has lost four games before Southeastern Conference play for the first time since beginning 1-6 in the 2020-21 campaign. The Wildcats enter the city their fans proclaim to be “Catlanta” on the heels of their first win against a power conference opponent, a 72-60 triumph over rival Indiana on Saturday.
With an opportunity to post its first three-game winning streak of the season, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope wants to see his team rise to the occasion against a ranked team for the first time.
“One of the things we’ve been really disappointed in is in high-level games, we’ve been very poor in our response to adversity,” Pope said. “We just haven’t rallied around each other. We’ve had some go-away instead of some dig-in, and I thought that was the opposite (against Indiana). We’re going to need to continue to practice that.”
A key offseason addition that Pope thought would contribute heavily to the offense was Pittsburgh transfer Jaland Lowe. The former third-team All-ACC member sustained a shoulder injury prior to the season that has limited the junior to just five games this season.
Lowe had his most productive outing against Indiana, pouring in a season-high 13 points as he continues to gain rhythm within his new team.
“I don’t know if I’m 100%, but I’m the best I’m going to be right now and continuing to work hard every day to hold myself to a standard,” Lowe said. “I don’t take this game for granted anymore. You really can’t control things like this. All you can do is get as strong as you can and hope for the best when you get out there.”
Otega Oweh leads Kentucky with 14.0 points per game, while Denzel Aberdeen chips in 12.1.
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino hasn’t faced his former team since Dec. 21, 2016, when his Louisville squad beat Kentucky by three points.
The Red Storm (7-3) have yet to play a true road game and won’t until Dec. 31 at Georgetown, but Pitino is well aware of the reaction his team will face at State Farm Arena on Saturday afternoon.
“It’ll be a hell of a game,” Pitino said. “It’ll be a tough game. We know that when you go to Atlanta, they call it ‘Catlanta.’ It’ll be somewhat of a road game, but that’s OK. We’re playing good defense right now and I think it’ll be a very good basketball game.”
St. John’s has won three straight, including a 79-66 victory in its Big East opener on Tuesday against DePaul.
Idaho State transfer Dylan Darling had his breakout game against the Blue Demons, going for a team-high 17 points. Darling was 1-for-15 on 3-pointers prior to the game before hitting three triples in a welcomed sight for Pitino.
“That was a major factor in why he played so well, his confidence grew from making shots,” Pitino said. “We’ve got to get guys into the mindset that if you’re open, shoot the ball.”
Bryce Hopkins’ 14.0 points per game and Zuby Ejiofor’s 13.9 clip lead five St. John’s players averaging double-digit points.
