Mark Pope has been generally satisfied with his team’s performance during two exhibition games and the season opener, especially given their impressive total victory margin of 143 points against Kentucky Wesleyan, Minnesota State, and Wright State.
However, there is room for improvement, and Pope has consistently pointed out one area of concern.
Kentucky has struggled with offensive rebounding in all three games, losing that battle with totals of 10-9 against KWC, 8-6 against MSU, and 11-7 against WSU, leading to an overall deficit of seven rebounds against teams with less size. After his first official win this week, Pope highlighted the need for improvement, even after a 41-point victory. This issue has been a focus following the team’s recent performances and is sure to be emphasized in upcoming practices.
So, what would a satisfactory performance look like for Kentucky on the offensive boards? Pope has some specific figures in mind. “We aim to have a 30 percent offensive rebound rate,” he stated on Thursday before the game against Bucknell. “It’s an ambitious target, and while achieving 14 offensive rebounds per game would be exceptional, we haven’t reached that threshold; we really need to do better than our current average of under 10.”
He acknowledged that the team hasn’t made the desired strides in this area during the last game, but they are committed to improvement.
Pope’s goals aren’t just arbitrary figures; they highlight the importance of offensive rebounding for a team that relies heavily on three-point shooting. Without securing second-chance opportunities, the Wildcats risk missing out on crucial possessions.
While this strategy might be effective against less challenging opponents, it will become significantly more difficult when facing tougher competition and during conference play.
