Last week, we got our first glimpse of Mark Pope’s first Kentucky team, and I’m still thinking about how fun it was. The Cats pummeled Kentucky Wesleyan 123-52, hitting 21 threes and dishing 32 assists to just five turnovers. They shot 63% from the floor, 50% from three, and had five runs in which they hit at least four shots in a row. It was a thrilling start to the Mark Pope Era.

Tonight, the competition steps up slightly. The Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks are the defending NCAA Division II national champions. Picked first to finish in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), the Mavericks return two All-NSIC selections in Kyreese Willingham and Justin Eagins. They’re led by Matt Margenthaler, who has a 488-211 record over his 23 seasons as Minnesota State’s head coach.

Like Kentucky, Minnesota State likes to shoot, averaging 9.2 threes per game last season on 24.2 attempts, both single-season highs. Willingham is their leading scorer, with 14.5 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game, followed by Eagins (12.6 PPG), who made 86 threes last season. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Cats and the Mavericks, whose famous alum include Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and Myron Medcalf, a friend of the site and Matt Jones’ ESPN radio cohost.

On Monday, Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr previewed the matchup. In listening to the interviews, it sounds like the Cats even watched some tape of the Mavericks, who present a different look than Kentucky Wesleyan.

“Minnesota State is a really good team,” Butler said. “They won the national championship for Division II. I think they have three or four returners from last year’s team. We’re just trying to play hard, try to stop their actions, things like that.”

“They’re bringing back some good, talented players and a little bit different style than Kentucky Wesleyan as well,” Carr said. “They’re a little less reliant on their actions in their offense and have some really talented players who might be able to take you off the bounce a little more, just a different kind of style for them. For us, it’s great. We’ll be able to play against two different teams, play defense a little differently in both games.”

Kentucky’s 71-point win over Kentucky Wesleyan was the largest margin of victory in any game going back to the start of the 2016-17 season. Even though the Mavericks may be a more formidable foe, don’t expect the Cats to shift into cruise control even if the game is well in hand.

“For us to continue to not play to the competition but to play to our standards is going to be huge,” Butler said.

How To Watch, Listen

Like Kentucky’s first exhibition (and several early season games), this one is “on the computer,” meaning it will be streamed exclusively on SEC Network+. The KSR Pregame Show will start at 4:30 p.m. at KSBar and Grille.

• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Streaming: SEC Network+ (Darren Headrick, Cameron Mills)
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE FEED on the website, which will begin 30-45 minutes before tipoff, or join the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing updates while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis. Right now, new members can get KSR+ for seven days for just $1 and 50% off the annual price.

Will Kerr Kriisa play?

Kerr Kriisa missed Kentucky’s first exhibition and the Blue/White game with a tweaked hamstring. The injury is minor, to the point Kriisa was shooting around with the team before the Kentucky Wesleyan game last week, but don’t be surprised if he sits out again tonight as a precaution to be fully ready to roll vs. Wright State in the season opener on Monday.

Updates from Bush Hamdan and the offense

On the football front, we’ll hear from Bush Hamdan this evening after practice. On Monday, Hamdan did not say which quarterback will start vs. Tennessee, Brock Vandagriff or Gavin Wimsatt, but he did say that the staff is “evaluating everything” at the position ahead of the Tennessee game. I doubt we’ll hear if any conclusions were made on Monday, but check the site this evening for remarks from Hamdan and other members of the offense.

Mark Stoops was in Youngstown on Monday to attend his mother’s funeral, so Hamdan and Brad White handled his weekly press conference and Vince Marrow handled his call-in show. Marrow pleaded with fans to stick with the team even through this hard stretch, pointing to brighter days ahead with recruiting.

“Just keep supporting and believing. I’m very disappointed in some of these losses. When people criticize us — I’m like Stoops. Where we’re from? We’re big boys, we can take the criticism. I really feel bad for our fans. And I’m telling you this, we will get this thing going. I think you’ll see some good things coming down the line. Just keep supporting and you’ll start seeing a team that you love playing hard and physical and playing for this state. I can say this wholeheartedly: We feel the fans, we hear them. I love these fans, they’re the best in the country. Just keep supporting us and see what happens.”

“Again, I would say to the people of this state, we always going to play hard for them and we’re going to keep knocking down walls but do not get panicky or nervous,” he added to close out the show. “We’ve got a couple of top-10, top-20 classes come in here and guys are excited to come play for the University of Kentucky.”

If you’re in the mood for more football talk, don’t miss the latest episode of the KSR Football Podcast. Nick Roush can’t wait to go to Knoxville.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Game Four of the World Series

Are the Dodgers about to sweep the Yankees to win their eighth World Series? Los Angeles won Game Three last night 4-2 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series thanks to yet another home run by Freddie Freeman and an impressive performance on the mound by Lexington native Walker Buehler. Game Four is tonight (8:08 p.m., FOX). Freeman has now homered in five straight World Series games.

The only team in MLB history to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series? The Boston Red Sox, who rallied to stun the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series. We’ll see if the Yankees have some magic up their sleeves tonight (in between timeouts of the Kentucky game, of course).