LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky's debut under Mark Pope could not have gone much better had it been scripted.

The No. 23 Wildcats dominated on both ends of the floor and dazzled fans at Rupp Arena with an exciting new style of play en route to a 103-62 win over Wright State on Monday in the season opener.

They even won by a margin (41) that matched the jersey Pope wore while serving as captain of Kentucky's legendary 1996 national championship squad.

"I'm pretty sure they cooked that up," Pope said with a grin. "We talked about that after the game. Forty-one is really special to me. That is really sweet. Kentucky magic. None like it."

The Cats planned to ambush their coach with a water-bath celebration in the locker room, but ever the analytic master, Pope beat them to the punch.

"Someone musta told him because he was sorta prepared," said junior guard Otega Oweh. "He splashed us back with some water in his hands, too... But it was great being part of that because that's big for him, first win at Rupp, won by 41, his number. That's something that you're not going to forget ever."

The 103 points were the most ever posted by a coach in his first game with the Wildcats.

Six Kentucky players scored in double figures, led by Oweh with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field and a 3-for-3 night from the arc.

"I'm just going out there to win and compete every night," Oweh said. "This is just step No. 1, but it was a great experience, and I'm happy we got the win."

The Wildcats (1-0) also got 18 points from guard Koby Brea, who was 4-for-4 from long range, 14 points from guard Lamont Butler, 12 points from center Amari Williams, and 11 apiece from forwards Andrew Carr and Ansley Almonor.

Williams, a 7-footer who transferred from Drexel as part of Pope's completely revamped roster, also recorded a game-high 13 rebounds for a double-double in his UK debut.

"Coming into this game, a ton of respect for Coach Pope, and his story — how he built a roster in a short amount of time that really fit his scheme," Wright State head coach Clint Sargent said. "... You can tell he has a connected group because he found the right kids that understand the brand here, and it shows up on both ends of the floor.”

Kentucky shot 60% from the field, knocked down 11 of 24 from the arc, and dished out assists on 30 of their 39 buckets. The Cats also recorded 11 steals on the defensive end of the floor while holding a veteran Wright State squad who ranked among the nation's Top 35 offensive clubs last season to a 35% shooting night.

"Really proud of our guys," Pope said. "I thought they came out like I would hope they would. They were so intentional to start the game. ... They had exactly the right kind of makeup to start the game."

The Raiders (0-1) were led by Brandon Noel with 20 points, while Alex Huibregtse chipped in with 16.

*****

In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...

KEY MOMENT:

Kentucky led by a commanding 46-24 advantage at halftime. A big part of that was the way the Wildcats came out of the gates. UK held a 15-8 lead at the first media timeout, and all five starters had scored. When Mark Pope went to the bench for the first time, the reserves extended the lead as Koby Brea scored eight points in a 10-0 spurt to help UK take total control of the game.

GAME BALL:

Otega Oweh, Kentucky -- The transfer guard from Oklahoma went 8-for-9 from the field, 3-for-3 from the arc, and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line en route to a team-high 21 points in his debut with the Cats. He also chipped in with three steals, a blocked shot, and an assist.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1.471 - Points per possession by Kentucky.

13 - Rebounds by Amari Williams were the third-most most by a player in his UK debut, trailing only Oscar Tshiebwe (20 vs. Duke in 2021) and Julius Randle (16 vs. UNC-Asheville in 2013).

30 - Assists by Kentucky with six different players recording three or more. Lamont Butler, Kerr Kriisa, and Brandon Garrison each had five.

88.9% - Oteha Oweh was 8-of-9 from the field in his first game as a Cat, the best shooting percentage ever for a player in his first UK game with at least seven attempts.

101-21 - Kentucky's record in season openers as the Wildcats began their 123rd season of college basketball. (No official games were held in 1952-53.)

QUOTABLE:

"Quite honestly, I thought a lot of the talk and a lot of the excitement about his (Kentucky) team was with the offense, and I certainly get that, but I was very impressed with their physicality defensively. I thought it sped us up. I thought it put us on our heels early, and then obviously, when they get out in transition, they’re hard to guard." -- Wright State head coach Clint Sargent

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action on Saturday at Rupp Arena against Bucknell. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.