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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs Ole Miss: Postgame Recap

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2 years ago

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© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Wildcats looked to bounce back after a loss against Kansas as they traveled to Oxford, Mississippi to take on Ole Miss in another late-night Tuesday matchup. With ten games remaining on the schedule and still on the bubble, the Wildcats couldn’t afford to drop this game.

That task was made harder when prior to the game, it was announced that Cason Wallace was ruled out due to a knee contusion suffered during shootaround. However, Ole Miss was not without their own absences, as their two leading scorers would not be playing.

Plagued by slow starts for much of the season, Kentucky fell victim once again. Nor were they benefitted from a scorching hot start by the Rebels, led by Amaree Abram. By the first media timeout, Ole Miss had captured a 13-8 lead, only missing two of their first seven shots.

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Kentucky responded to take a 25-19 lead and had a chance to pull away. However, shortly after, Sahvir Wheeler went down with an ankle injury and the Wildcats limped into halftime in a tie game, 32-32.

Wheeler was the first player to return to the floor for the second half in a taller pair of shoes, but still not 100 percent. Yet, he battled through and had six of his nine assists in the second half, and was able to lead a much better offensive performance in the second half. With that said, the offense was pretty easy, get Antonio Reeves the ball as he finished with 27 points and helped Kentucky win 75-66.

While not the biggest margin of victory, a win is a win, especially on the road in the SEC. Let’s take a closer look.

Antonio Reeves

Scoring a season-high 27 points and tying a season-high in three-pointers (6), no player was as important in Kentucky’s win as Antonio Reeves. When Kentucky was reeling and was in need of a basket, Reeves seemed to always answer the call.

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After the game, Reeves talked about his performance and compared it to his role at Illinois State. “Coming off ball screens. Getting to pull-up game, floater game. It felt like Illinois State days. I just felt comfortable out there.”

Reeves’ performance was his best of the season, but it comes as no surprise given his recent play. Over the last eight games, Reeves is averaging 17.3 points on 42.9 percent shooting from three, and looks reminiscent of the guy that averaged 20.1 ppg last season at Illinois State.

Playing his best basketball of the season, Reeves looks to have fully adapted to the Power Five level of play and will play an important role if Kentucky wants to make a run.

Ball Screen Defense

Kentucky’s biggest weakness this season has undoubtedly been their pick-and-roll defense, which many opposing head coaches have made a point to attack. On Tuesday night, Kermit Davis and Ole Miss became the latest team to expose this.

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Countless times, the Rebels were able to get in the middle of the lane and either drive straight to the rim or pass it for an easy layup. At one point, Calipari even replaced Oscar Tshiebwe with Damion Collins, hoping length would help, which it did.

Fortunately, this improved as the game went on and they limited Ole Miss to their normal offensive output. However, Kentucky’s schedule only gets tougher and this area No. 1 they have to improve in.

Injuries

Outside of the win, the biggest story for Kentucky is the injuries of Cason Wallace And Sahvir Wheeler. Kentucky’s two point guards are not 100 percent and that is concerning as the team enters February, especially given how much injuries affected the team last season.

With that said, both injuries seem to be relatively minor, and they may not miss any more time.

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Wallace, who suffered a contusion against Kansas, sit out as a precaution Calipari confirmed after the game. As for Wheeler, his ankle was “busted up” but only missed the last three minutes of the first half before coming in and playing all 20 minutes in the second half. After the game, Wheeler said he “sprained it a little” but will begin treatment when they arrive back in Lexington.

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Men's Basketball

Former Kentucky Player, Top Recruit Could Be Involved in Point Shaving Scheme

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21 hours ago

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November 23, 2024

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Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw is alleged to be involved in a college gambling scandal.

Once a projected top-10 pick, former Kentucky Wildcat Aaron Bradshaw is now away from the Ohio State basketball program for unclear reasons.

On Friday, the program released a statement that Bradshaw is not currently participating in team activities, but that they could not comment further due to federal privacy laws.

“Aaron Bradshaw is not currently participating in team activities,” the statement read. “The university is following its established process. Due to federal privacy laws, we cannot share further information at this time.”

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Ohio State coach Jake Diebler held a press conference Friday night after the Buckeyes’ win over Campbell, where he said could not provide further comment and referred to the University’s public statement.

“Regarding Aaron, I understand you may have some questions,” Diebler said to open his postgame press conference. “As stated, have to refer to the statement that was released and can’t have any comment on that. Respect the job you have to do. Just know I cannot comment on that any further.”

This comes shortly after news of a federal investigation into sports wagering activities broke earlier this week. Former Temple and Virginia Tech guard Hysier Miller was dismissed from the Hokies last month due to the investigation which first started after the Owls were flagged in March by a watchdog group for suspicious gambling activity.

With more names expected to be released in the coming weeks, the investigation has begun to narrow its search to players with ties to Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware. Of course, Bradshaw is from Camden, New Jersey, just across the Deleware River from Philadelphia, and those with knowledge of the situation are suggesting he could be involved.

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Court documents do show that Bradshaw recently failed to appear in court following a speeding violation, where he was clocked at 102 mph in a 65 mph zone. However, similar situations of student-athletes speeding have not been handled in this fashion.

The wording of the statement does not make it seem like a minor incident that will soon blow over. This is certainly something to keep an eye on, with some believing it could lead to a nationwide ban on college sports betting.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Jackson State: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Betting Odds/Predictions

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2 days ago

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November 22, 2024

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Kentucky players encouraging each other at Rupp Arena.
Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats are back in action Friday to face the Jackson State Tigers in the second game of the BBN Invitational.

To put it simply, Jackson State is bad, very bad. Sitting at 0-5 and ranked 321st in KenPom, the Tigers will likely be the worst opponent Kentucky will play all season.

Coached by Mo Williams, one of LeBron James’ old teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Tigers have only finished above .500 twice in the last decade. This season, Jackson State is predicted to finish fourth in the SWAC.

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Mark Pope recently said he wanted to build a standard, regardless of opponent and, and that will be tested on Friday.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

More 3-Point Attempts

Admittedly nitpicking, one of the things that Mark Pope was not happy with in Kentucky’s win over Lipscomb was the amount of three-point attempts. While they shot nearly 50 percent from deep, going 12-25, Pope wants to see the number of attempts closer to 35.

The Tigers have allowed their opponents to shoot 47.8 percent from deep, the second-worst mark in the country. Pope and the staff will certainly generate a game plan to take advantage of this. Expect to see 30+ attempts.

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Ball Movement

Despite beating Lipscomb by 29 points, the Wildcats had a season-low in assists with just ten. For context, Kentucky had averaged more than 23 assists per game entering the matchup.

“That’s not us. That’s not who we are,” Pope said after the game.

While there wasn’t a lot of selfishness, the ball just wasn’t ‘flying’ as it has been early this season. This is a priority for the staff and this mature group, and they will aim for 25+ assists.

Keep JSU off the Free-Throw Line

Jackson State ranks in the top 100 nationally in one area: Free throws made per game. So, Kentucky, defend without fouling.

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Kentucky’s offense makes headlines, but the defense has played very well to start the season, holding all four opponents to under 73 points. Let’s see if they can get down in a stance and defend well for 40 minutes vs. a team that stresses contact and drawing fouls.

Opposing Players to Watch

C Shannon Grant 6-11, 290 lbs

  • 7.5 PPG
  • 4.8
  • Preseason All-SWAC First Team selection

G Jayme Mitchell Jr 6-5, 190 lbs

  • 15.0 PPG
  • 3.8 RPG
  • 44.4% 3P

F Romelle Mansel 6-9, 220 lbs

  • 10.8 PPG
  • 5.8 RPG
  • 31.7% FG (second most FG attempts on the team)

Kentucky Wildcats Basketball vs. Jackson State Tigers

Time: 7 PM ET on November 22nd
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: This game will not be on TV and is streaming only,
Online Stream: SEC Network+, ESPN+, and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | JSU
Stats to Know: UK | JSU
KenPom: UK | JSU
Team Sheet: UK | JSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game, so check Thursday afternoon for an official spread. Multiple projections give Kentucky a 99% chance of winning: Bart Torvik (99%), EvanMiya (99.9%), and ESPN (99.0%). The exception is KenPom (92%).

Predictions: KenPom (93-63), Haslametrics (96-63), Bart Torvik (95-61), and EvanMiya (96-59) all are going with a 30+ point victory, Kentucky!

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Men's Basketball

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

Published

6 days ago

on

November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
IMAGN

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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