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Men's Basketball

Big Blue Madness 2023 Recap and Takeaways

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1 year ago

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Kentucky Wildcats forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) celebrates with guard Joey Hart (20) during the dunk contest during Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

There was a lot of hype surrounding this year’s edition of Big Blue Madness. Let’s be real, it has been very underwhelming in the last few years, but there was an element of anticipation that gave #BBM23 some life. Whether it was the debut of Zvonimir Ivisic or the hope of a surprise, big-name guest, the air was full of excitement in Rupp Arena.

Following the shows that the women’s basketball team, the cheer team, and the dance team put on for the BBN, it was finally time for some men’s basketball. The lights in the arena shut off, and the blue light sticks came out. A long list of recruits were in the house, and it’s safe to say that they had a lot to take in from the event.

Big Z is Finally Here and in a Kentucky Uniform

While his night ended after warmups, Zvonimir Ivisic finally got his first look of what it is like to be a Kentucky Wildcat, performing in front of the BBN. His night began with a warm welcome during the introductions. Then, in warmups, Ivisic was the spectacle everyone wanted to see. Towering over all of his teammates, he wasn’t hard to find, either.

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Big Z put on his own mini-dunk contest for the fans as he was throwing down monstrous two-handed flushes and even a windmill during warmups. While we didn’t get to see him in a scrimmage setting, it is a big, big sigh of relief to see him in blue and white. However, John Calipari announced that Ivisic will see his first game-like action at the Blue-White game at NKU on October 21st.

Joey Hart Can be a Contributor

It has been a big week for three-star freshman Joey Hart. The Linton, Indiana native really got things going at UK Pro Day. Unfortunately, Adou Thiero (who was held out of BBM, by the way) went down with an ankle injury. For Joey Hart, however, that meant an opportunity for him to step up. And step up he did.

At Pro Day, Hart made made three after three, and at the end, Calipari even mentioned how NBA scouts were asking, “Who’s number 20?” Well, as confirmed at Big Blue Madness, number 20 is one of the more fun players on this team. With some prime Vince Carter-like dunks, Hart won the dunk contest.

In the scrimmage, Hart had some good moments on defense as well, causing disruption and forcing misses. Over the course of three days, Hart proved that he will be a much-needed component of the 2023-24 team, especially early on as Kentucky is dealing with a few injuries.

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Flamethrower. Money. Automatic. Antonio Reeves.

In case it wasn’t obvious, the return of Antonio Reeves is going to be a tremendous get for Cal and this team. Reeves’ night began in the three-point contest where he was absolutely on fire. In round one, Reeves put up 26 points, the most of the entire competition. In the finals, he scored 20 points to Reed Sheppard’s 18 to win the event.

Reeves has now won back-to-back Big Blue Madness three-point contests, but perhaps his biggest moments came during the scrimmage. Reeves was all over the court. On defense, sharing the rock, even throwing down a big dunk. Of course, he was still knocking down triples.

Scoring 14.4 points per game and shooting 39.8% from three last season was definitely a big positive, and it looks like we’ll see similar production this season. Don’t be surprised if he is the team’s scoring leader, averaging around 18 points per game and shooting around 42% or so from three. He had a great season last year, but he’s looking even better. Watch out, college basketball.

The 2023 edition of Big Blue Madness was… something. While it was nice to see DeMarcus Cousins in Lexington once again, UK missed out on some big-time guests. Musical artists Lil Wayne and Lil Durk were rumored to make an appearance, but a rumor is all it was. And once again, the scrimmage was a recreation of what happens in your local YMCA at times. There were still some good things to take away from the event, however. The BBN should be excited for this upcoming season.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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3 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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5 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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6 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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