Tag: Koby Brea

Kentucky struggles but survives a strong effort from Colgate

Kentucky basketball struggled, but got the win against Colgate on Wednesday.

Kentucky basketball defeated Gonzaga on Saturday behind a strong second half effort and comeback. On Wednesday, they needed another good second half against a Colgate team that played very well.

The Wildcats jumped out early, leading 17 – 0 at one point. However, Colgate began to knock down three point shots and clawed back into it. Kentucky, however, once again shot the ball poorly in the first half, especially from deep, and led by just two at halftime.

Related: SEC basketball power rankings after week five

In the second half, Colgate actually pulled ahead briefly, but Jaxson Robinson made a couple of three pointers, and keyed a 9 – 0 run that put Kentucky in front for good. They would finish with a 78 – 67 victory.

Koby Brea led the Cats with 17 points behind 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Andrew Carr posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Otega Oweh and Amari Williams each had 15.

Next up for Kentucky is their rivalry game against the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday.

Fifth-Year Senior Koby Brea takes his first career charge

Kentucky ‘s Koby Brea took the first charge of his college career on Friday against Georgia St.

Weird things were happening with Georgia sports teams on Friday night. As the Georgia Bulldogs-Georgia Tech started to roll into overtime, the Kentucky basketball game against Georgia State came to an end.

It wasn’t weird in the same way the eight-overtime football matchup was. Kentucky won handily, taking home a 105-76 win.

No, it was weird for one player in particular: Koby Brea.

The senior guard, who had started the season shooting 67.6% from three through Kentucky’s first six games, was just 2/7 in the seventh.

Brea did come alive later in the game, finishing with 10 points — including a monster dunk to bring the Wildcat lead to 18 halfway through the second half.

Related: Kentucky’s offense has been key for the Wildcats

What was maybe even weirder in that performance was somewhat of a fun fact: the fifth-year senior had never taken a charge. Not once in any of the four seasons he played at Dayton, nor through his first six games with the Wildcats.

Until Friday night, when Brea took a charge late in the second half defending Zarique Nutter — Georgia State’s leading scorer with 19 points.

The Panther guard drove in from the wing, ultimately committing his fifth and final foul. Nutter went to the bench, and fans in Lexington erupted alongside Koby Brea and the Wildcats.

“We were complimenting him after the game, and he revealed to our team–you know, he’s a fifth-year senior, and he was like, ‘guys, that was the first charge I’ve ever taken’,” said Kentucky head coach Mark Pope. “So, you guys were all here to witness Koby Brea’s first charge ever. He was so hyped about it and I’m sure it won’t be his last. That’s why you come to Kentucky, man.”

The offense has been a key for Kentucky’s strong 2024 start

Kentucky basketball is one of the nation’s best offense teams so far in 2024.

It’s no secret that the Kentucky Wildcats are off and flying to start their season. They’re 6-0 and up to a two seed in ESPN Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi’s latest prediction, but what’s gotten the Wildcats to this point?

Thus far it’s been Kentucky’s high-flying offense, which features as one of the best in the nation.

Kentucky currently has the top-ranked Power 4 scoring offense, putting up 95.3 points per game. They’re third overall in the country, only trailing Utah State (98.6) and UNC Wilmington (97.5).

So what’s gotten Kentucky to this point of offensive prowess? How about passing the rock.

Related: Kentucky offers the son of a former NBA great

The Wildcats are also fourth in total assists, racking up 125 (20.8 per game) through their first six contests. They trail only Utah (22.5), Utah State (21.2), and defending national champion UConn (21.0).

With that, the Wildcats haven’t turned the ball over. They’re seventh in the nation in assist to turnover ratio, assisting a basket over twice as much as they give the ball up. Kentucky holds a 2.02 ratio — turning the ball over only 62 times against those 125 assists.

They’re taking advantage of that ball movement and security — utilizing it to capitalize on it in the open court. Kentucky is second in the nation in fast break points (23.0), only trailing NC State (28.4).

In addition, the Wildcats have been strong overall shooting at 39.9% from beyond the arc and 50.2% from the field.

Several Wildcats have had incredibly strong starts shooting, including senior guard Koby Brea (64.6% from the field, 67.6% from three) and junior guard Otega Oweh (56.5%, 44.4%).

Kentucky basketball returns this Friday night for their next matchup, with the Wildcats slated to take on Georgia State (3-3) in Lexington at 7 p.m.

Kentucky sets season-high in points in their win over Jackson St

Kentucky gets a blowout victory over Jackson State 108 – 59 on Saturday.

Kentucky basketball is 5 – 0 after defeating Jackson State on Friday night. The Wildcats scored a season high 108 points, led by Koby Brea and Otega Oweh, who both scored 20+ points. The game would end with a 108 – 59 final score.

The Cats shot the ball well from three-point range, making 17-of-39 overall. Koby Brea was 5-of-8 from deep, while Collin Chandler made two of his three attempts. Jackson Robinson made four from beyond the arc.

Related: Caleb Wilson down to five schools, including Kentucky

Five Wildcats scored in double figures. Brea and Oweh led the way, but Robinson added 14 points. Lamont Butler and Ansley Almonor scored 11 and 10 respectively.

Brandon Garrison had a terrific game as well. He scored just six points, but added eight rebounds, six, assists, and three blocked shots. Kerr Kriisa led Kentucky with seven assists.

Up next for the Wildcats is Western Kentucky. That will take place on November 26th at Rupp Arena, and should represent a little tougher challenge for Kentucky.

Kentucky defeats Bucknell with a balanced offensive attack

Kentucky basketball got another blowout win on Saturday against Bucknell.

Game two of the 2024-25 Kentucky basketball season went much like the first game did. They opened with a 103 – 62 win over Wright State. On Saturday, the Wildcats took on Bucknell, and came away with a 100 – 72 victory.

Kentucky didn’t shoot the ball as well as they did in the opener, but they dominated the boards and played tough on the defensive end, setting up a lot of open shots. As promised, they took a lot of three-pointers, attempting 36 of them. They made 13.

Related: Jay Bilas puts Kentucky 15th in his rankings

Koby Brea led six Wildcats in double figures with 20 points. He was 6-of-8 from three-point range. Amari Williams recorded another double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Meanwhile, Kerr Kriisa led the team in assists with 12.

The Wildcats have scored 100-plus in both of their games so far, and have won each convincingly. The Duke Blue Devils are up next, though, and it will not be as easy to win. It will be a good test of where Kentucky is at this season.

Three Kentucky Wildcats were listed as top 100 NBA draft prospects by ESPN

Three Kentucky basketball players are listed on ESPN’s top 100 NBA draft prospects.

The Kentucky basketball roster for 2024-25 is unlike any that fans have seen in recent memory. Instead of a team dominated by top ranked Freshmen, this year’s team will feature a lineup comprised mostly of transfers from other schools.

Mark Pope’s first roster will be an experienced one, but not one loaded with obvious NBA talent, like in previous seasons. However, there are some players who have the ability to be NBA players. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has released his top 100 NBA draft prospects, and three Wildcats are on it.

Related: Kentucky basketball ranked in preseason top 25

Kobe Brea is the first player from Kentucky on the list at number 69. He is an elite shooter who made 50% of his three-point attempts last season.

The next player on the list is Jaxson Robinson, the transfer from BYU. He averaged over 14 points per game last season while coming off the bench.

The final player listed is center Brandon Garrison. The youngest player on the list, he has the potential to be their biggest star as well.

The NBA draft is a long way off, and it’s too soon to fairly judge how things will shake out. There are talents on Kentucky. It will just take time to see who will step up this year.

Kentucky transfer guard named among nation’s top 3-point shooters

Veteran college basketball analyst Andy Katz named this Kentucky transfer as the top 3-point shooter in the nation.

The Kentucky Wildcats’ basketball season opener is less than two months away. The Wright State Raiders will visit Lexington for the season’s opening tip at Rupp Arena on Monday, Nov. 4.

At 6’7, shooting guard Koby Brea will bring his size and elite shooting to Lexington, where he’ll make his much-anticipated Kentucky debut this season.

A transfer from the Dayton Flyers, Brea is one of the nation’s top three-point threats, having shot 49.8 percent from beyond the arc last season. The two-time Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year averaged three made 3-pointers per game, playing a pivotal role in the Flyers’ 25-8 record and NCAA Tournament appearance. Brea’s sharpshooting should make an immediate impact for the Wildcats.

Veteran college hoops expert Andy Katz recently ranked Brea as the best three-point shooter in all of college basketball. Brea was ahead of players like Mark Sears of the Alabama Crimson Tide, RJ Davis of the North Carolina Tar Heels, and Josh Hubbard of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

 

Brea is excited to see what he can do in Pope’s offense, which he cited as the reason he transferred to Kentucky after four seasons at Dayton.

“That was the biggest draw for me. I was probably coming here just to see how perfect the system was for me. Coach Pope did a great job of explaining to me where I can excel in the offense, the hit system in general, and the defensive system as well.”

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Koby Brea has pulled out of the NBA draft and is on to Kentucky

Transfer Koby Brea has pulled his name out of the NBA draft and will head to Kentucky.

Former Dayton guard Koby Brea committed to Kentucky basketball back on May 1st. The sharp-shooting wing was a big catch for Mark Pope and his staff, and is a great fit for the offense the Wildcats will run.

On Tuesday, a number of new Wildcats pulled their names out of the NBA draft. Brea was one of them. He tested the draft process, but as expected, decided to return to college and complete his transfer to Kentucky.

Related: Recruit Malachi Moreno will visit Kentucky basketball

Brea was one of the elite shooters in all of college basketball last season, shooting 50% from three-point range. He averaged 11.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Fliers, coming off the bench for the most part.

Pope, as well as fans of the Wildcats, will be happy to have Brea on the roster for the 2024-25 season. They want to shoot a lot of three-pointers, and few do that as well as Koby Brea.

Former Dayton guard Koby Brea commits to Kentucky basketball

Three-point specialist Koby Brea has committed to Kentucky basketball.

New Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope has hit his stride in adding to the Wildcats roster for next season. The past week has seen a number of good players committed, and on Wednesday, he got another. Former Dayton guard Koby Brea has chosen Kentucky as his home for 2024-25.

Brea is a one of the top three-point shooters in the country. Last season, he made over 49% of his attempts and made three per game. He averaged 11 points per game as well and won the Atlantic-10 Sixth Man of the Year award.

The 6’6″ guard has had an interesting transfer process. He had Kentucky among his finalists initially, but appeared to narrow his list down to Connecticut and the Duke Blue Devils, and decided to not visit the Wildcats.

However, Duke took themselves out of the race, and UConn landed guard Aidan Mahaney, putting Kentucky back in it. Brea visited Kentucky and liked what he saw. He had this to say about his decision:

Growing up, I was told I was dreaming too big whenever I’d say my dream was to play for the University of Kentucky. I feel like God does everything for a reason, and He has put me in a position where I’m able to play for my dream school in my last year of college, while playing for something bigger than myself.

Brea’s three-point ability will excite Kentucky fans, who have been looking for more offensive firepower to be added. Big Blue Nation will be happy about this one.

Guard Koby Brea will no longer visit Kentucky basketball

Former Dayton guard Koby Brea will not be taking a visit with Kentucky basketball.

Kentucky basketball, and new coach Mark Pope have a busy weekend ahead, with several visits lined up with top players in the transfer portal. Guard Koby Brea will no longer be one of them, however.

The Wildcats have been in contact with Brea since he entered the portal, and were one of his final five teams, along with Connecticut, North Carolina, Kansas, and the Duke Blue Devils. Now, he will only be visiting Duke and Connecticut.

Last season, with Dayton, Brea averaged 11 points and 4 rebounds per game. He also made almost 50% of his three-point attempts on the year.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has just one year of eligibility remaining, but will provide whoever lands him with a terrific shooter either off the bench, or as a starter.

The Wildcats, and Pope, will turn their attention to the other players set to visit Kentucky, including several other guards. The roster carousel will continue for Big Blue Nation.