No. 23 Kentucky prepares to play its third and final preseason exhibition game on Wednesday, hosting Big 12 opponent Central Florida at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, with television coverage provided by the SEC Network.
The Wildcats enter the matchup with a flawless 2-0 record in exhibition play. Kentucky opened its preseason schedule with a 69-49 victory against Travis Ford’s Little Rock squad. Milan Momcilovic paced the offense in that opener with 16 points, while Alex Wilkins contributed 11 points. The Wildcats also demonstrated strong outside shooting by converting 12 of 28 attempts from behind the three-point arc.
Last week, Kentucky raised its competition level by facing No. 19 Texas Tech, securing a 76-65 win. The Wildcats featured a balanced offensive attack with five players scoring in double figures. Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno shared team-high scoring honors with 15 points apiece, freshman Mason Williams added 14 points, Wilkins chipped in 13, and Ousmane N’Diaye rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.
Central Florida arrives in Lexington having also contested two exhibition contests this preseason. The Knights opened their slate with a narrow 84-81 defeat on the road against LSU, where Dior Johnson led the team with an 18-point performance. In their subsequent outing, the Knights bounced back with a victory over Rollins College, led once again by Johnson’s 19 points and seven rebounds.
UCF is led by head coach Johnny Dawkins, a former Duke guard currently serving his 11th season at the helm in Orlando. The Knights finished the previous campaign with a 21-12 overall record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament where they fell in the opening round to UCLA.
