Rebounding will be key for Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats

This offseason, Mark Pope is working to make sure that the things his 2024-25 team struggled with are not issues for this season's team. One of those big issues was rebounding the basketball.

There were some games where rebounding really hurt the Wildcats, especially in the Sweet 16 loss to Tennessee.

Coach Pope brought in a bunch of players who aren't afraid to help on the glass like Jayden Quaintance, Mo Dioubate, and even point guard Jaland Lowe.

This week, the Wildcats scrimmaged the Kentucky alumni team, La Familia, and in this scrimmage, one of the takeaways was how good Pope's team was on the glass.

The little things were one of the big problems for the Wildcats last season. Things like 50/50 balls, closing out on shots, and, of course, rebounding.

When watching film from the scrimmage vs. La Familia, it was clear that Pope is doing everything in his power to make sure that this year's team does not share these same issues.

As good as Kentucky is offensively, if they aren't allowing opponents to have a lot of second-chance opportunities, it will help lead to victories. Getting rebounds and holding teams to one shot per possession will go a long way when it comes to keeping a game close if the Wildcats aren't hitting shots.

Coach Pope is one of the best X's and O's coaches in college basketball for a reason, but this should excite fans. Last season's team had an issue, and he has worked hard to make sure it won't be a problem this season. Kentucky will be an elite rebounding team this year.