Takeaways from Kentucky’s 76-65 exhibition win against Texas Tech

The Kentucky Wildcats took down Little Rock in their first of three exhibition matchups 69-49 in a game where defense was on point, but offensive execution was a struggle. That is something that will take time and on Friday, Mark Pope was looking to see improvements there in their second exhibition game, this time against the #19 Texas Tech Red Raiders.

In the first half, Kentucky used as big as a 17-3 run to take the lead towards the end of the half after the offense struggled moving the ball and finding its rhythm to start. The Wildcats then took a 37-33 lead into the half after Texas Tech ended making their last three shots and Kentucky had a two minute drought late. As far as the second half, Kentucky continued making plays and shot much better, going 6-13 from deep and turning the ball over just four times. Once Texas Tech cut it to three points late, Kentucky went on a 14-6 run to close it out with an 11-point win.

Oct 23, 2026; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Ousmane N’Diaye (19) fives center Malachi Moreno (24) during the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Rupp Arena Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kentucky is lethal in transition

When Kentucky’s offense struggled finding its flow in the first half, they were finally able to get in the groove with their ability to create off turnovers. It started with a fastbreak layup by Justin McBride followed by an Ousmane N’Diaye fastbreak dunk that started Kentucky’s huge first-half run. Kentucky ended the first half with 14 points off turnovers and proved that when the ball is moving constantly, scoring opportunities open up in bunches for the Wildcats. That bled into the second half, as Kentucky ended up shooting 6-13 from three, a much better result with the ball moving more and off of steals. That first-half run paid off in the end.

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Publish date : 2026-10-24 01:09:00

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