The Kentucky Wildcats put together a much better offensive performance on Tuesday night against Manhattan, as they went 12-31 from three, with Milan Momcilovic being responsible for half of those. But on the defensive end, it was Alex Wilkins who stole the show and even made program history with his performance.

Wilkins, who is known more for his offense, broke the program record at Kentucky for most steals in a player's debut, as he totaled seven takeaways on the night. So far, through the three exhibitions and Tuesday's season-opener, Wilkins has really impressed on the defensive end. Mark Pope says it's all about staying committed to that. If he does that, Pope believes Wilkins can grow into a special player.

"I think he has a massive upside in every part of his game," Pope said of Wilkins. "What I've been really impressed with him throughout the preseason and tonight was the energy and how committed he is to competing on the defensive end and he's gonna grow if he'll keep that commitment. He's gonna grow and get better and I think his upside is high."

Mark Pope has continued to reiterate that length is the strength of this team on defense and Wilkins showed that with his seven steals. The head coach talked more about his squad's length on Tuesday and how it was so important in the result we saw on the court.

"When we put this team together, we knew we would have to rely on our length. We say this everyday, but length is our strength. You have to meet a threshold for length to be your strength. Your feet have to be good enough and your intensity has to be good enough and then your length can have some play."

Wilkins has plenty of time to continue growing on the defensive end.

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