Mark Pope told the SEC Network crew before this one that Kentucky has to “burn white” with their competitiveness. After getting booed off the floor in Nashville and questioned by DeMarcus Cousins, national media, and pretty much everyone with a pulse, that phrase sounded like a challenge more than a slogan.
Against North Carolina Central, Kentucky at least finally looked like a team that heard it, at times anyway.
Yeah, the opponent matters. This wasn’t Gonzaga, Louisville or Michigan State. But for the first time in a while, Kentucky played with real edge, purpose, and joy in a 103–67 win that felt as much about how it looked as what the scoreboard said.