Malachi Moreno was a player that Mark Pope raved about during the offseason. At least through one preseason game, the freshman big man looked the part of someone who will take on an important role for this season’s Kentucky Wildcats.
Moreno, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Friday, impressed during his team’s 78-65 exhibition win over top-ranked Purdue in Rupp Arena. He finished with eight points (4-5 FG), four rebounds, one block, and one steal in 22 minutes. This wasn’t your usual preseason opponent that Moreno did this to, either — the Georgetown native was excelling against real Power 4 college players with national title aspirations.