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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Georgia: Postgame Recap and Game MVP

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UK Athletics

Following their marquee win over Tennessee, the Kentucky Wildcats returned to Rupp Arena in a matchup against Georgia, and to prove they are turning the corner.

Despite having good looks, Kentucky started the game off slow once again, trailing 7-2 to begin the game. As the half went on, those shots began to fall, however, the main problem for the first half for the Cats’ was their defense. The Georgia offense was clearing out and driving on the Wildcats at will, or getting clear cuts to the basket. The Bulldogs’ guards combined to score 27 out of the 42 points for Georgia in the first half. Kentucky trailed 42-34 against Georgia at halftime.

The second half was a totally different story. Oscar Tshiebwe came out of the gates swinging, scoring eight straight points, which was capitalized by a three from CJ Fredrick, giving Kentucky a 46-45 lead. Georgia kept it close until the 8-minute mark, but Kentucky was able to pull away. The Wildcats outscored Georgia by 22 points in the half, led by a video game like performance from Tshiebwe, going on to win 85-71.

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Let’s take a closer look at the game.

Tale of Two Halves Defensively

After limiting Tennessee to a season-low in points (56), this team proved they are much better on defense than what they had shown. However, to start the game against Georgia, they reverted to old habits.

Unable to stay in front of the ball, Kentucky gave up way too many straight-line drives and cuts to the basket, which allowed Georgia to tie their season-high for points in a half (42). On the half, the Bulldogs were scoring an unreal 1.24 points per possession and shooting over 55 percent from the floor.

In the second half, the Wildcats tightened up defensively and increased their intensity. Their activeness is shown most with the 5 blocks and 6 steals in the second half alone. The improved defensive execution is what allowed to Kentucky to pull away, allowing just three made field goals in the last ten minutes.

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Going forward, the Wildcats cannot afford to continue to dig themselves into early deficits due to poor defense, as it will result in them dropping more games.

“The Lineup”

Against Tennesee, there was one lineup where Kentucky found the most success and that was with Wallace-Reeves-Fredrick-Toppin-Tshiebwe. Was it fool’s gold? No.

After not starting the game, Sahvir Wheeler entered the game and quickly had a steal and a pair of assists. However, he followed that up with two out-of-control drives and his size was being taken advantage of by the bigger and more physical guards that Georgia had.

In the second half, Wheeler played just one possession, as Cason Wallace took over point guard duties with the lineup referred to above. The result? The Wildcats scored 51 points and outscored Georgia by 22 points.

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Looking at the final box score, Wheeler had a -9 plus/minus – by far the lowest of the team -and played just 11 minutes. After two games, it is no longer a coincidence. Wheeler is one of the best playmakers in the country and can provide some good off the bench, but Kentucky has found their best five to help them succeed.

Game MVP: Oscar Tshiebwe, is he back?

Without a doubt, Oscar Tshiebwe was the MVP for Tuesday night’s game against the Georgia Bulldogs. Tshiebwe had a career-high 37 points and 24 rebounds during the game, with 23 points and 15 rebounds coming in the second half alone.

Unlike many teams, Georgia refused to double-team Tshiebwe in the post. This led to his explosion in points, primarily coming from post drives and putbacks. With Tshiebwe looking fully healthy following his knee surgery, and Calipari praising how Tshiebwe has gotten back in the gym, Kentucky fans could see Oscar continue to put up a dominant second half of the season.

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BB Recruiting

Chin Coleman Talks About Kentucky’s 2024 Recruiting Class

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Kentucky Wildcats assistant coach Chin Coleman goes into detail about the 2024 recruiting class.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky basketball assistant coach Chin Coleman recently spoke with the media. While talking about the game, Coleman was asked about Kentucky’s current signees in the 2024 class, which now sits No. 2 overall, all of whom signed this in the early signing period.

Somto Cyril

“A freak of nature, Coleman says. He says he has to get better with his skill-set, but that he does things that no one else in the world can do: “He’s a freak of nature. Obviously, he’s gotta get better with his skill set, right, but he does things that no one in the world could do, not even guys in the NBA could do some of the stuff that he does in terms of pure shot-blocker, pure vertical spacer. He gets way over the rim, and that gives you something that a lot of teams don’t have.”

Boogie Fland

With Boogie Fland, he says he’s the best point guard in the country, and that he is expecting to give the keys to him when he arrives: “You talk about Boogie, who’s the best point guard in the country,” Coleman said. “We got the best, in Boogie, and we’re expecting Boogie to come in here and have the keys to the Lamborghini and drive it the right way.”

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Jayden Quaintance

Talking about Jayden Quaintance, Coleman calls him a “prodigy”: “You have a prodigy, who is probably–arguably one of the best players in the country regardless of class. ’24, ’25, it doesn’t matter,” Coleman said. “He too has some force and some physicality, but he’s very, very, very, skilled. He’s 6-10 245-250, and he plays like a guard,” Coleman said. “The crazy thing about it is, two years, think about that. Jayden Quaintance for two years, that’s unheard of.”

Travis Perry

Coleman also dove in on Travis Perry, saying, “Hometown kid. His parents obviously share some relationships with the university. All he knows is blue. He wanted to go here no matter how many people recruited him. This is where he wanted to be.”


On the recruiting class as a whole, he calls it a “unique” class that is different in its own way. Kentucky is on a hot streak in the 2024 class and beyond, and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

Check out Coleman’s answer in the video below!

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Targets Play In Made Hoops Derek Smith Invitational

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Kentucky basketball recruiting prospect AJ Dybantsa going up for a dunk,
NBC Boston

The city of Louisville had some of the nation’s top high school prospects in town this weekend at Saint Xavier High School for the Made Hoops Derek Smith Invitational. A few of the nation’s top high school teams were there as well, and they featured some very notable names.

Headlined by 2024 Kentucky signee Jayden Quaintance, who did not play in the event, there were a few major Kentucky targets in Louisville this weekend. The top player of 2025, AJ Dybantsa, who is a generational talent, put up a great game against Link Academy on Saturday, which features 2026 Texas signee Tre Johnson and 2025 Top-15 prospect Jasper Johnson.

Dybantsa finished with 25 points, and his teammate, 2026 Top prospect Tyran Stokes, is another major Kentucky target. He had 12 points. Jasper Johnson ended with 10 points for Link Academy, coming up short in the loss to Prolific Prep.

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Sunday featured Prolific Prep vs. St. Xavier, where Dybantsa struggled, but Tyran Stokes made up for it. Dybantsa is known as an athletic finisher, who is long and can really score. That wasn’t clicking on Sunday. Instead, it was Stokes who was playing very aggressively attacking the basket. He even threw down a few monster dunks. Stokes had a full head of steam attacking the rim all day. Kentucky’s staff was in attendance.

Dybantsa spoke after the game on Sunday to talk about Kentucky and what it means to him to be offered by Kentucky.

“It’s a blessing,” he said. “High-major school, you know, multiple NBA players, a lot of college championships.” He spoke about playing with other elite talent right now, and eventually at the next level, “I know how to blend well. I know how to get my teammates involved.”

Dybantsa also went on to about what he is looking for his role to be at the next level: “Like a point forward or just play shooting guard at my height.” He then talked about things he has to do to be his best at the next level: “Get all my ball-handling right, limit turnovers, and just making the right passes.”

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Dybantsa is a generational talent, and there was a lot of talent this weekend in Louisville. A notable win from the weekend was Fredrick Douglass’ close win against St. Frances, who is a nationally known team. A lot to like about this weekend in Louisville.

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Men's Basketball

Recap And Takeaways From Kentucky’s Stunning Loss To UNC Wilmington

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Kentucky Forward Justin Edwards reacts to an foul call at Rupp Arena.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky looked like a totally different team on Saturday when they faced UNC Wilmington at Rupp Arena, losing to a score of 80-73.

Kentucky played a very sloppy game, putting up a season-high 14 turnovers, also as a result of very good defense from UNC Wilmington.

Let’s dive into the takeaways from the game.

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Kentucky Ties A Season-High 14 Turnovers

Kentucky did not look like the team we have watched to start the season. Playing very sloppy, and making questionable passes, Kentucky ended up with 14 turnovers, which ties a season-high.

The Cats had 9 turnovers in the first half alone, cleaning them up a little bit in the second half. Kentucky’s assist-to-turnover ratio took a big hit tonight, with only dishing out 14 assists.

Kentucky Struggles From Three-Point Range

Kentucky’s offense had struggles all night, with turnovers a big part of it from making questionable passes. But, Kentucky also struggled from deep. Not putting up as much threes as usual, Kentucky only attempted 17, and hit 5 of them.

Besides Reed Sheppard, no one else could get it going from behind the arc. Sheppard was the team’s leading scorer, finishing with 25 points on 3 of 6 from deep, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and added 2 steals.

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Kentucky Looked Out Of Control

Kentucky had a lot of silly turnovers, especially in the first half, and played a very sloppy game on the offensive end, which ended up affecting the defensive side too.

There were times were Kentucky was forcing passes, which ended up in turnovers, but cleaned those up in the second half.

Overall, Kentucky looked like a much different team tonight, but will look to get their bearings after a week off, when they face Penn in Philadelphia on December 9th. No need to fret, BBN, we’ve got a good team.

Box Score

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