On Tuesday, March 4, Kentucky men’s basketball celebrated Senior Day with a massive 95-64 win over LSU at the Rupp Arena. While head coach Mark Pope was full of praise for his team, he particularly singled out walk-on player Zach Tow, who played his first game ever for the Wildcats in the win over the Tigers.
Zach Tow’s Unforgettable Kentucky Debut on Senior Day
“The name that most people don’t know is Zach Tow. Zach Tow actually came to walk-on tryouts. We randomly held walk-on tryouts and he showed up and fought through 60 guys in a bunch of workouts and then, earned a right to come to practice and be on a one-day contract throughout the entire course of the season,” Pope said during the postgame conference that was posted on Instagram.
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“And he came and battled every single day, never said a word, never missed a rep, never missed a practice, never was an issue, never asked for anything. Just came fought every single day.”
Pope also revealed how some of his players, particularly Lamont Butler asked him to give Tow, who was on a one-day contract and yet to make his debut for Kentucky, a jersey. In pregame speech, Lamont presented Tow a jersey, which left the walk-on in “stunned wonderment.”
Pope said spending even a day in the Kentucky jersey meant the basketball community would embrace the player for life.
A native of Madisonville, Ky., Tow played basketball at Madisonville North Hopkins High School before enrolling at Kentucky as a regular student. He became president of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity until he was drafted into the basketball program as a walk-in this season.
Mark Pope Praises Kentucky Team for Dominant Win vs. LSU
Pope expressed his pride in his Kentucky men’s basketball team after their dominant 95-64 win over LSU on Senior Day.
“I was really proud of our guys and how they responded tonight after a tough game on Saturday,” Pope said in the postgame press conference. “Just their focus, I thought was pretty good. I thought it was elite, especially on the defensive end. I thought guys were really connected, and took it personal, and that’s what we’re looking to do as we move forward.”
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It may have been a Senior Day, but it was the underclassmen who powered Kentucky to a dominant conference win on Tuesday night. Junior guard Otega Oweh led the Wildcats with 24 points. He added eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while sophomore center Brandon Garrison finished with 15 points and four assists on 5-8 shooting.
With the win, Kentucky (20-10; 9-8 SEC) ended its regular-season home game with the program’s biggest win.
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