Mark Pope: "I have never coached a team this deep before"

One of the key talking points with the Kentucky Wildcats heading into the season is their incredible depth. From one to 13, Kentucky has plenty of quality options available in the rotation. With star guard Otega Oweh, along with seven transfers, three freshman, and three other returning players ready to make that special second year jump that Mark Pope has talked about, the Wildcats have depth everywhere.

A common phrase that is thrown around with Mark Pope's second year squad is that they're like Noah's Ark, they have two of everything. It's true, and Big Blue Nation was able to see some of that special talent on display in their convincing win over #1 Purdue last Friday in Rupp Arena.

"I haven't coached a team this deep before," Pope said. It's one of the challenges that we're really excited about this year. I mean, it's a rich person's problem, right? We're really blessed in the sense of having such an incredibly deep team and trying to fit these guys together. But, man, we feel like we have some speed, some mobility, some toughness. What I was really excited about in the Purdue game. I was afraid that we were going to feel small in the game, especially our front line, because Purdue's front line is so veteran and so physical, and at least in that one game, I didn't feel like we were small. That made me feel really good."

It wasn't just the stars like Otega Oweh or Mo Dioubate showing out against Purdue , it was the two Kentucky kids having a breakout game, Malachi Moreno Jasper Johnson, which really shows off the team's depth. As for Johnson, he led the team in scoring with 15 points on 3-7 from three, and as for Moreno, he pitched in 8 points on 4-5 shooting, including 4 rebounds and an assist. What really shows off the team's incredible depth is the spread out scoring, which Pope compared to his 1996 National Championship team. Everyone that got time on the floor contributed in the scoring column, including four players in double-figure scoring.

Kentucky has solid contributors at every position and with what we saw last Friday, the ones on the bench certainly aren't afraid to step up, and who knows, maybe if it continues, Johnson and Moreno will have bigger roles than originally expected early in the season. With Lowe likely out against Georgetown, Johnson could put together another good performance.