The Kentucky Wildcats are no longer undefeated. Clemson got the best of them on Tuesday, and with another ranked opponent in sight, coach Mark Pope knows his team won’t have a lot of time to bounce back.
The first-year coach talked about the upcoming matchup with the Gonzaga Bulldogs. While he trusts his team’s ability to get the job done, he knows how big a threat they pose.
That’s particularly true when talking about their star guard, Ryan Nembhard. The senior, who is Indiana Pacers’ star Andrew Nembhard’s younger brother, is one of the prime playmakers in the game.
Mark Pope is worried about Ryan Nembhard
“They’re a dangerous, dangerous team,” Pope said. “I mean Nembhard is, he’s I don’t know, he’s a 10.3 to one right now. 10.3 assists a game. 10 to one assist-turnover ratio, that’s ridiculous, those numbers are crazy and so they’re really potent.”
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope watches his team play against Lipscomb on Tuesday night, Nov. 19, 2024, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
Nembhard hasn’t been as explosive on offense as he’s been in previous seasons, but he’s become a much more consistent three-point shooter, knocking down 45% of his shots from beyond the arc.
On top of that, he’s leading all of college basketball with a whopping 10.8 assists per game, logging a 6.14 assist-to-turnover ratio and averaging 1.9 steals per game as well.
Kentucky cannot overlook Gonzaga
The Wildcats are once again expected to be one of the marquee teams in college basketball, but Mark Few’s Gonzaga is fresh off a 90-65 route of the Davidson Wildcats.
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Even so, Kentucky can afford to go all-in in their next matchup, as they have Colgate on deck after this game. Gonzaga, on the other hand, can be caught looking ahead, as they will meet UConn next.
