It’s hard not to get carried away after Kentucky’s 78-65 win over Purdue. Sure, it was just an exhibition, but the Cats ran the No. 1 Boilermakers off the floor — without their starting point guard Jaland Lowe and projected top 10 draft pick Jayden Quaintance. Mark Pope was careful to say that this team has a long way to go, but you could hear in his voice how special he thinks this group could be — to the point he dropped a 1996 team comparison.
Before you go put on your denim, some context. Ten Wildcats played more than 15 minutes tonight, with just four playing 20 or more (Denzel Aberdeen, Trent Noah, Andrija Jelavic, and Malachi Moreno).