Koby Brea, the nation's top 3-point shooter, could be tested by Western Kentucky's defense. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky beat Lipscomb and Jackson State by a combined 78 points. Western Kentucky also has played both teams and defeated the two by a combined 24 points.
Western Kentucky plays at UK tonight in the final game of the BBN Invitational.
The Hilltoppers have lost to Wichita State and Grand Canyon, two top 100 teams. Western is a top 130 team in the KenPom rankings — and the highest rated team UK has played other than Duke.
“They’re a pretty good defensive team from what we’ve seen. They change up their defenses a lot, they got a lot of aggressive defenders. So I think it’ll be something new for us,” Kentucky guard Koby Brea said Monday. “Kind of similar in a way to Duke a little bit. So I think it’ll be a good challenge for us.”
Brea said Western players can create their own shots and score.
“That’s also another challenge for us, just one-on-one defense and all of that. I think it’s a good opportunity for us. Keep growing and keep seeing different styles of basketball before conference comes up,” Brea said.
Western Kentucky is allowing opponents to hit only 31 percent from 3-point range. The Hilltoppers also average 9.6 steals per game and rank in the top 50 nationally in that category.
Four players average 11 or more points for Western and the Hilltoppers like to shoot 3-pointers almost as much as Kentucky.
“Seems like they play super fast and aggressive. They played the two teams that we already played before. They’re definitely a talented team and are gonna come in here and give us their best shot. We’re excited,” Kentucky forward Andrew Carr said.
