Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Florida: Postgame Recap

Published

1 year ago

February 6, 2023

Florida was coming off an upset win against No. 2 Tennessee on Tuesday night and had a large amount of confidence afterward. However, that would not make it any easier for them in Rupp Arena on Saturday night.

Kentucky got off to a great start on defense in the first half only allowing 22 points to the Gators and being the faster and better team for the entire half. While they were struggling shooting on offense at 38 percent, they were making use of their second-chance opportunities to give themselves a 33-22 lead at the half.

However, the second half would get much harder for the Cats even after going up by 14 at the under 8-minute timeout in the second half. Toward the end of the game, Kentucky tried to grind the clock and struggled to make shots, which allowed Florida to back into the game, cutting it to just three with under a minute to go.

In the end, the Wildcats were able to knock down some big free throws and hold them off in a close 72-67 win, making Kentucky now 7-3 in conference play.

Let’s take a closer look.

Point Guard Play

Cason Wallace played as efficient of a game as you will see in college basketball. Scoring twenty points, Wallace only needed 10 shot attempts and shot 70% from the field, and did so in just 27 minutes.

Five of those points came during the most important stretch of the game. With under three minutes to go, after Florida cut it to five, Wallace hit a tough layup and a three to give Kentucky a cushion heading into the final minutes.

Wallace also impacted this game on the defensive side tallying three blocks and a steal. Including this one, that had Rupp Arena going crazy.

This Cason Wallace block got Rupp ROCKING 👀pic.twitter.com/im4NhQ6XpK— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) February 5, 2023

With that said, Cason Wallace wasn’t the only point guard that played well, as Sahvir Wheeler played his role of backup point guard to perfection.

Off the bench, Wheeler has his fingerprints all over the game, tallying 8 points, 2 assists, 2 steals. and 0 turnovers. During his time on the floor, he was exceptional at pushing the ball in transition. Multiple times, Wheeler was able to beat the defense back and either find the open man or take it himself.

After the game, John Calipari was sure to note Wheeler’s performance and tell the media, “Sahvir. Without him, we (Kentucky) don’t win this game.”

Improvements on Defense

The defense looked far better in this game, especially in the first half. Every shot at the basket was contested and there were no easy buckets. Which is an area that Kentucky has struggled against, giving up straight-line drives.

The second half came with some breakdowns, especially in the pick-and-roll game where Kentucky has struggled all season. Florida also started hitting contested jumpers in the second half, fueling their comeback.

When Kentucky needed it most up three on the last possession of the game, they got the stop to win the game. There are still improvements to be made, but the Cats are building upon each performance and showing improvement.

Daimion Collins

Coming into this season, Daimion Collins was tabbed to be a potential breakout player for the Wildcats this season. After seeing his performances in the Bahamas and reports from early practices, that looked as if that would be the case.

However, just days before the start of the regular season, tragedy struck as his father, Ben Collins, passed away. Last week, John Calipari provided insight into just how much the loss affected him.

“His dad passed away. His dad was his best friend, would have been the best man in his wedding,” Calipari said on Daimion’s relationship with his dad. “All of a sudden he loses 16 pounds and we’re playing other people.”

In the last two games, Collins has stepped up in limited action and on Saturday, he made two of the biggest free throws of the game. Coming back to the bench, Collins was greeted with a hug from Calipari that all of Big Blue Nation could feel, and a deserved ovation from the Rupp Arena crowd.

The emotion in this picture is hard to put into words.

My favorite picture from last night's game. #BBN pic.twitter.com/HSM22nZnrD— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) February 6, 2023

BB Recruiting

Kentucky to Host Multiple Top Transfers This Weekend

Published

44 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Tristan Pharis

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are hosting multiple top transfers this weekend for visits, looking to add to their roster.

With the deadline for players to enter the portal coming up on May 1st, Kentucky nearly has all their options on the table. Now two weeks since taking the job, Mark Pope has expressed interest in nearly two dozen names and has been keying in on some top names in the portal.

As of writing this article, top 25 transfer Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), is currently on a visit to Lexington, with three more players set to visit this weekend. There’s a good chance that some of those visits turn into commitments.

Let’s take a look at those names.

Deivon Smith – Guard, Utah

Physicals: 6’0, 173 lbs
Stats: 13.3 PPG, 7.1 APG, 6.3 RPG, 46.% FG, 40.8% 3P
Ranking: 10th (Evan Miya), 38rd (247Sports)

Kentucky has had just three players record a triple-double in program history. Deivon Smith recorded five triple-doubles this past season alone, the second-most all-time for a single season in NCAA history.

While undersized, he is one of the best all-around guards in the country, as his numbers show. It’s still early, but Kentucky getting the first visit is significant. St. John’s and Texas Tech have also been mentioned here.

Andrej Stojaković – Guard, Stanford

Physicals: 6’7, 190 lbs
Stats: 7.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 40.9% FG, 32.7% 3P
Ranking: 183rd (Evan Miya), 51st (247Sports)

Stojakovic is the son of former NBA All-Star, Peja Stojakovic. A familiar name for Kentucky fans from his high school recruitment. Stojakovic is a terrific shooter, and a top-25 recruit in the 2023 class.

On Thursday, Stojakovic cut his list to just three schools: California, UNC, and Kentucky. As a West Coast product, California was a school that showed interest when he was in high school, and so did Mark Pope when he was at BYU. Pope has made Stojakovic a priority, he could seal the deal this weekend.

Aidan Mahaney – Guard, Saint Mary’s

Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Stats: 13.9 PPG, 2.6 APG, 38.6% FG, 35.5% 3P
Ranking: 96th (Evan Miya), 14th (247Sports)

One of the best guards in the portal. As a lead guard for Saint Mary’s, he displayed a good sense of playing under control, setting himself up and others. That said, his numbers were rather inefficient as the primary scoring option for the Gaels and shooting more than half of his shots from three. There are concerns about his playing against bigger guards.

Mahaney visited UConn Thursday and it looks to be a race between Creighton, Virginia, UConn, and Kentucky.

Andrew Carr – Forward, Wake Forest

Physicals: 6-11, 230 lbs
Stats: 13.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 52.6% FG, 37.1% 3P
Ranking: 33rd (Evan Miya), Not Listed (247Sports)

A near 7-footer who is efficient and can stretch the floor, shooting over 37 percent from three, is a player that Mark Pope would love to add to his roster. That describes Andrew Carr who has played two years at each Delaware and Wake Forest and is looking to go elsewhere for his last season of eligibility.

Carr is coming off a visit to Texas Tech and will visit Villanova after he visits Lexington this weekend.

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Hiring Top Assistant Coach Alvin Brooks III from Baylor

Published

1 day ago

April 24, 2024

Tristan Pharis

Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky may not have been able to pull Scott Drew away from Baylor, but they were able to pull Alvin Brooks III, one of the best assistant coaches in the country. First reported by CBS Sports on Wednesday morning, Brooks has accepted an associate head coach position at Kentucky, the same role in which he had at Baylor.

NEWS: Top Baylor assistant Alvin Brooks III is leaving the Bears to join Mark Pope's staff at Kentucky, sources tell @CBSSports. He spent the past eight years under Scott Drew and will be associate HC @ UK. Brooks is highly respected in the profession. It's a major coup for Pope.— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 24, 2024

Brooks comes to Kentucky with a great reputation as a recruiter, helping Baylor bring in some elite talent over the last couple of seasons, most notably, McDonald’s All-Americans VJ Edgecombe (2024), Ja’Kobe Walter (2023), and Keyonte George (2022).

Just 44 years old, Brooks has two decades of coaching experience. Before his time at Baylor he also had stops at Kansas State (2012-16), Sam Houston State (2010-12), Bradley (2007-10), Midland (2006-07), and Arkansas-Fort Smith (2004-06).

Brooks spoke with Kentucky Insider earlier this month about Kentucky’s hire of Mark Pope, as someone who competed against him at BYU. He spoke highly of the hire, specifically of his Xs and Os, and saw “no negatives”.

Interestingly, he will not be the first Alvin Brooks to be a part of the Kentucky Basketball program as his father was the Director of Operations from 2007-09 under Billy Gillispie. Brooks joins an assembled staff of Cody Fueger, Jason Hart, and Mark Fox, leaving just one assistant spot remaining which likely won’t come soon.

That said, the concern with Pope was his recruiting ability. With Hart and now Brooks, he has addressed that concern and has added two of the best recruiters in the country.

BB Recruiting

Transfer Amari Williams Commits to Kentucky

Published

4 days ago

April 21, 2024

Tristan Pharis

Drexel transfer Amari Williams has committed to play for the Kentucky Wildcats. Becomes first transfer commitment under Mark Pope.

Graphic via ClutchPoints

Amari Williams has made his decision. He has committed to the Wildcats, first reported by Joe Tipton of On3.

Williams’ decision comes after visiting Lexington this past weekend. On all accounts and given his commitment, all things went well, even taking a visit to Keeneland with new head coach Mark Pope.

Originally from Nottingham, England, Williams has played the last four years at Drexel. He has career averages of 10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks.

From his sophomore season forward, Williams has been named to the All-Coastal Athletic Association Team three times and has won three straight CAA Defensive Player of the Year Awards.

The 6-foot-10, 265-pound forward is a physical big. On the offensive end, he scores most of his points at the rim, many of which come in transition or off offensive rebounds, but he is also comfortable extending to the elbow. He is a better passer than one would expect as well, with an 18% assist rate.

As his Defensive Player of the Year awards suggest, Williams makes his biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball. With a 7-foot-5 wingspan, he blocks plenty of shots (8.5% block rate) and alters many more. His physical size and length help him rebound the ball well.

Both were areas Kentucky lacked in last season.

If you’re an analytical guy, Williams has been a top-20 player in player efficiency ratings the previous two seasons, with a 28.5 PER each season.

For reference, Kentucky’s most efficient players last season, Reed Sheppard and Antonio Reeves, both had a PER of 23.6.

Evan Miya, one of the best analytics gurus in college hoops, has Williams ranked 14th overall in DBPR for next season, which measures the defensive value a player brings to his team when he is on the court. So Kentucky just landed one of the best defensive transfers in America.

With his commitment, Williams becomes Kentucky’s first transfer under Mark Pope and just the second commitment overall, joining Collin Chandler, a 4-star recruit of the 2022 class returning from a mission trip this summer.

It’s worth noting that he played alongside fellow Kentucky target and Utah State transfer Great Osobor in England. Could the two join forces in Lexington as Kentucky’s frontcourt?

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