VIDEO: Pope Discusses UK's Disappointing Loss to Kansas in State Farm Champions Classic
UK Athletics Video
It certainly wasn't a very pretty night for the Big Blue Nation as the No. 24 Wildcats struggled in a disappointing 89-69 setback to No. 15 Kansas on Tuesday night at the State Farm Champions Classic in Chicago.
Kentucky, now 2-1, committed 15 turnovers, allowing the Jayhawks to turn them into 22 points. On the other hand, Kansas had 10 turnovers, and UK wasn't able to convert them into points at all.
UK only hit 4-of-21 three-pointers against Kansas after making 22 three-pointers in its first two games combined,
Leading the Wildcats were Zoom Diallo and Malachi Moreno, who had 24 and a career-high 19 points, respectively. Moreno also grabbed 10 rebounds along with five assists.
Kansas' top scorer was guard Tre White, who had a game-high 30 points. Guard Tyran Stokes notched a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
"It's an incredibly frustrating night for us," said Kentucky coach Mark Pope. "A lot of credit goes to Kansas. I thought they played great tonight. They made shots, they cut hard, they played in transition, and they really shared the ball.
"We found some frustration early in the game that was really disruptive for us, and we never quite recovered from it. It's an unbelievable learning experience for our guys, this young group, and they'll respond the right way, and we'll get better and put together a great season."
UK's next game is Friday night when the Wildcats host Northern Arizona at Rupp Arena. The 7 p.m. ET game will be shown on SEC Network Plus.
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