Koby Brea, Kerr Kriisa Spark Win Over Bucknell

Koby Brea had 20 points and hit six 3-pointers Saturday. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Kentucky stayed in the moment, and it showed it a 100-72 rout of Bucknell on Saturday in rowdy Rupp Arena.

With a major showdown against No. 7 Duke looming on the horizon Tuesday, the No. 23 Wildcats took care of business against the Bison in typical fashion by scoring at a fast pace and a barrage of 13 3-pointers.

No. 23 Kentucky also used a stellar performance from veteran guards Koby Brea and Kerr Kriisa and reached the century mark in the first two games of the season for the first time since the 1978-79 season.

Brea came off the bench and led five players in double figures, and provided an instant spark behind the arc. Brea made six of the team’s 13 long-range shots and missed just two field goals on 11 attempts and led the Wildcats with 20 points.

Kentucky seized control of the game early, putting together a 9-1 and 9-0 run for a 31-11 lead with 8:55 lead in the first half. The closest Bucknell would get after that was 35-23 with 4:37 left in the first half.

Pope wasn’t surprised by Brea’s showing against the Bison and considers him the “most efficient player in college basketball.”

“Kobe was ridiculously good,” Pope said. “… He’s just like a maestro. He’s having fun right now and I’m really proud of Kobe because he is like all of our guys are — trying to figure out their space and how they fit and if it’s going to really work or not. ’He’s kind of boldly committed to going all in and loving this game as much as he can. He’s put together back-to-back games where he’s been really special.”

Brea scored 18 points in the opener and likes the way the Wildcats have shown an ability to play unselfishly.

“I’m just running hard and doing what I have to do to get other guys open and it’s going to free myself up,” he said. “I kind of just lean on the other guys and I’m letting them create plays for me.”

It was Kriisa who created a lot of plays for the Wildcats on Saturday. With his mom in attendance, Kriisa dished out more than half of the team’s 23 assists with 12. He also made a pair of 3-pointers and finished with six points.

“I’m telling you, he’s a real special player,” Pope said. “He’s a really special young man. It’s super special for him, too, because his mom is here in town. And so she’s been in the last few days. For him to kind of bring that type of juice, panache, skill, excitement, unselfishness, and kind of magic to the floor, the emotion that he brings on the floor (is special). I love him and our guys love him. You know, you love him as a teammate. He is just a special person.”

In addition to Brea and Kerr’s performances, Pope liked the way his team responded to his call to be more active on the boards. The Wildcats grabbed 57 rebounds, including 22 on the offensive end of the floor. Amari Williams snagged 14 boards and completed a double-double with 13 points.

“It’s a gift as a coach to have guys that are curious and guys that are humble and guys that want to get better,” Pope said. “We don’t use the words curious, but we don’t talk about humility very often, but we have a ton of that on our team.

“For these guys to respond to a challenge, … and for these guys to come up with almost put up 60 rebounds today, it is incredibly gratifying as a coach. It’s a really important step for us as a team.”

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Gametracker: Kentucky vs. Duke, 9 p.m., Tuesday. TV/Radio: ESPN, UK Radio Network.