The Mark Pope era is officially here as, for the first time, the Kentucky basketball team is set to play another team. Coach Pope says he is excited for his team to play some real competition, and for the first time this season, the Wildcats will do just that. On Wednesday, Kentucky will host Division II Kentucky Wesleyan in an exhibition game where Kentucky fans will finally get to see what this team is made of.

The Blue-White Game was a ton of fun for Kentucky fans to watch but this game against Kentucky Wesleyan will be Coach Pope and Big Blue Nations first opportunity to see this team play some new competition.

Kentucky Wesleyan does have two 6’10 players, which will be good for Amari Williams, Brandon Garrison, and Andrew Carr as they will face off against some size.

The goal for Kentucky in this game should be to limit turnovers, have great ball movement, play hard defense, and get a lot of open looks. If the Wildcats are able to do that, Coach Pope will be happy with the first game of the season coming in just a few weeks against Wright State on November 4th.

Let’s take a look at how to watch Kentucky basketball take on Kentucky Wesleyan.

Kentucky’s matchup with Kentucky Wesleyan will be at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, October 23rd. The game can be watched on ESPN+. If you do not currently have ESPN+, here is the link where it can be purchased.