Duke was the only game worth sweating in the early non-conference schedule for Kentucky with all six other opponents ranked outside the top 100 by KenPom leading to an average margin of victory of 32.5 points in those matchups. The Wildcats aced their test in the Champions Classic while steamrolling through a weak home schedule with minimal pushback — Western Kentucky was the closest margin of victory at 19 points.
That changes this week as Mark Pope takes his squad away from Rupp Arena in back-to-back contests, starting with the first true road game of the season at Clemson on Tuesday. The Tigers received votes in both AP and Coaches Polls while sitting comfortably at No. 25 overall in the latest KenPom update. Brad Brownell’s actually got his group ranked No. 18 overall in the first release of the NET rankings — the NCAA’s primary sorting tool for March Madness — which translates to a solid No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Oh, and then the Cats head to Seattle to take on Gonzaga, ranked No. 3 by KenPom and No. 7 in the AP. No explanation necessary.
Pope and the players have called every game the biggest of their lives since day one, vowing to respect every opponent equally in an effort to avoid slippage. That approached has worked with no Evansvilles or UNC Wilmingtons slowing them down. Now, though, it’s about rising to the occasion beyond the first statement game and all of the emotions that came with it in the Champions Classic. Can this team be consistently great against top-tier competition? How will the Wildcats respond in a hostile road environment with an arena full of fans actively rooting against them?
That’s why you bring in seven seniors and nine total players with prior experience in games like this. You never know until you know with it being the first of the year, but Pope signed the best group possible to respond on the road.
“We’ve got the experience,” Jaxson Robinson said of the opportunity. “This is an old team and it’s our first road game together. I’m excited to go out there and play a tough Clemson team and hopefully come out with a win.”
“Oh yeah, it’s fun. It’s a test,” Lamont Butler added. “It’s hard to win road games. I’ve been in college for, what — this is my fifth year. It’s hard to win road games. We’re gonna go out there and compete, try to win one. I’m excited to see how we respond.”
The Wildcats have been used to impressive Rupp Arena crowds with 98 percent of those in attendance rooting for your success — and we appreciate the opponents’ family and friends making up the other two percent. They had fans rooting against them in State Farm Arena, but it was a split crowd with Blue Devil fans making up the other portion. This will be the first time they’ll have the two percent or so in a sea of orange and purple.
The good news? That’s just the way this group likes it.
“I’ll say the away fans,” Amari Williams said of his favorite part of true road games. “Some places are louder than others, but having that fire to go prove them wrong and go against not only the other team, but the fan base too, is always really fun.”
“The atmosphere, I would say,” Otega Oweh added. “When you’re at home, everybody is showing love, so it’s just easier — everything is smooth-sailing. When you’re away, it gets a little bumpy. You hear some boos and people are rooting against you. I just like doing that. When you come up with a victory, it’s even better.”
The players had their favorite road environments over the years — some against better competition, others against mid-major foes. Hostile fans are hostile fans, though.
“At San Diego State, New Mexico was a fun place to play. They were rowdy,” Butler said. “Boise State, Utah State was hard. Those three were in my conference and they were tough ones. GCU — when we played them, they were loud. I’d say those were the best.”
“Oklahoma State or Kansas,” Oweh continued. “Those two were crazy, those environments.”
Speaking of those pesky Seahawks the Wildcats are all too familiar with following that December disaster last season — did you know that 80-73 loss was exactly one year ago today? — Williams always had trouble with them at Drexel, too.
“I would say UNCW,” he said. “They had a crazy student section, the best in the conference, for sure.”
This is the first true road game, sure, but that Duke matchup was a pretty significant measuring stick of this team’s ability to overcome adversity away from home, too.
What’d the Wildcats learn in that one?
“That we just can’t give up. In the first half, Duke had it going their way — I think they were up 10 at halftime,” Williams said. “We knew we couldn’t give up there and had to fight until the final buzzer. That’s what we ended up doing.”
They plan to take that response with them to Clemson, then again to Seattle when they take on the Bulldogs this weekend. They’re chances to grow together as a group in a new setting as the push for No. 9 continues.
“It’ll still be a business trip at the end of the day, but these road trips are definitely opportunities for us to bond,” Oweh said. “We’re going to face adversity so it’s a chance to grow from that. … These are the types of games all college players live for — top-tier teams competing in a big arena.”
“I can’t wait,” Butler added.
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