Kentucky-Little Rock Postgame Notes

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY.
OCTOBER 16, 2026
ATTENDANCE: 18,955

Final Score: Kentucky 69, Little Rock 49

Team Records and Series Notes

• UK improved to 156-13 all-time in exhibition games.
• Tonight’s game does not count in the series’ record. Kentucky leads the series, 1-0.
  • This is the first meeting between the two teams in Lexington.
  • This was the first time Mark Pope has coached against Little Rock.
  • Travis Ford is 0-4 all-time against his alma mater as a head coach.
• The Wildcats play their second exhibition Friday, Oct. 23 vs. Texas Tech. Game time is 7 p.m. and it will be televised on SEC Network+.

Team Notes

• After a slow start offensively, Kentucky shot 51.7 percent from the field in the second half to end the game at 43.9 percent from the field.
  • UK was an impressive 15-for-29 from the field in the second half, including 8-for-15 from long range.
• Defensively, Kentucky held Little Rock to 31 percent from the field, including a 10 percent clip from 3.
• Kentucky won the second-chance points battle 10-0.
• UK had eight blocks in the game and outrebounded Little Rock 42-35.
• UK led for 35:52 of the game and its biggest lead of the game was 22 points at 5:29 in the second half.

Player Notes

• Milan Momcilovic led all scorers with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting
  • He was 4-of-7 from 3-point range
  • He added seven rebounds and a steal
• Malachi Moreno led all players with 11 rebounds
  • Moreno had four games with 10 or more rebounds last season
  • He also blocked three shots in the contest, a feat he achieved eight times last season
• Mason Williams had a strong college debut posting 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting
  • He had three assists and three steals
• Zoom Diallo had five assists to lead all players

Coach Mark Pope

• UK is 4-1 in exhibition play under Mark Pope.
• Pope will enter his 12^th season as a head coach with a 233-134 all-time record, including 46-26 entering his third season at Kentucky.
  • This was the first time Pope has coached against Little Rock.

In the First Half

• Kentucky started Zoom DIallo, Alex Wilkins, Ousmane Ndiaye, Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno. 
• Franck Kepnang and Justin McBride were the first subs at 13:39
• The first points of the 2026-27 season were scored by Momcilovic, who hit a turnaround jump shot at the 17:09 mark of the first half.
• After trailing 4-2 in the early stages of the game, Kentucky used a 25-10 run over 12 minutes of game play to take control of the first half with a 27-14 lead at the under 4 media timeout.
• UK led 30-19 at halftime. The Wildcats were 15-1 last season when leading at the half.
• UK shot 35.7 (10-for-28) percent from the field and 30.8 (4-for-13) percent from 3 in the first half, holding Little Rock to 22. 6 (7-for-31) percent from the field and 9.1 (1-for-11) percent from 3.
  • The Kentucky defense was stingy in the first half, causing Little Rock to miss 14 of its last 18 shots to end the half.
• Kentucky outrebounded Little Rock 24-22 and had five blocks in the first half.
• Nine Wildcats played in the first half, with Diallo leading UK in minutes with 18.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the starters.
• UK shot 51.7 percent from the field in the second half, going 15-of-29 from the field.
• Part of that impressive clip was UK going 8-of-15 from 3 for 53.3 percent.
• Eight of UK’s 10 second-chance points came in the second half.
• It was Momcilovic who led UK in the second half with nine points, going 3-of-5 from 3.
• Eleven players played in the second half with Mason Williams leading the way with 15 minutes.

UK outrebounded Little Rock 18-13 in the second half.