Connect with us

Men's Basketball

Recap and Takeaway’s From Kentucky’s Blowout Win at Vanderbilt

Published

on

©Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Tuesday night, Kentucky rolled to a 109-77 win in Nashville against Vanderbilt. Needing a bounce-back game, there was no shortage of offense in this one for the Cats. Six players ended up scoring double figures. Antonio Reeves and Rob Dillingham led the way, and the Cats got a feel-good win.

Let’s take a look at how Kentucky blew out Vandy to get back on track.

Kentucky Had No Shortage of Offense

The offense was clicking from the opening tip for the Cats. With six players scoring double-figures, Kentucky was scoring in bunches. Antonio Reeves led the way with 24 points on 6-9 from deep. Rob Dillingham was cooking, adding in 20 points. Justin Edwards had arguably his best game of the season. Edwards put up 17 points. Jordan Burks got more minutes tonight, finishing with 13 points.

Advertisement

The scoring didn’t stop there, as Aaron Bradshaw poured in 12 points, and Zvonimir Ivisic with 11. Reed Sheppard only had 6 points and didn’t have his best offensive night, but his defense was impressive. Adou Thiero added 4 points, and Ugonna Onyenso had 2. Kentucky shot 55.4% overall, and 57.7% from deep. Scoring 109 in an SEC game is nothing to complain about.

Defense Shows Signs of Improvement

Besides the offense clicking on all cylinders, Kentucky’s defense looked better, too. The Cats held Vandy to 35.5% overall and 32.4% from deep. Reed Sheppard was impressive on defense with 5 steals and a block to go along with his 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Kentucky had a team total 10 steals.

It was also the rebounding that showed a lot of improvement. Kentucky won the rebounding battle 50-28, after really struggling in that area all season. Regardless of this, it’s clear there’s still a lot more improvements needed in areas, and Calipari said that’s the focus moving forward: “The emphasis for the rest of the year…. 70% of it will be defense.”

Justin Edwards Bursts In His Coming Out Game

Even though it was Antonio Reeves and Rob Dillingham leading the way, Justin Edwards had his best game of the season. Edwards had a season-high 17 points to go with 3 assists and 2 steals.

Advertisement

He was all smiles after the game, and you can’t help but be happy for him after how his season has been. Jordan Burks also had his best game of the season, where he had an efficient 13 points and 5 rebounds, shooting a perfect 6-6 from the field. You can’t help but be happy to see these kinds of performances.

Kentucky will look to stay on track when they welcome Gonzaga to Rupp Arena on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. ET, and will be televised on CBS. You can check out the box score and highlights from Tuesday’s win against Vandy below.

Box Score

Highlights

Advertisement

Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh Declares for NBA Draft, Maintains College Eligibility

Arguably the centerpiece of last year’s team, Otega Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft… but that doesn’t mean he’s officially gone.

Published

on

Otega Oweh declares for the NBA Draft whilst maintaining his college eligibility.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Few players have taken the Big Blue Nation by storm like Otega Oweh did with his arrival this past season. A lot was new in Lexington last year, but #00 stuck out for a number of reasons; namely, his infectious energy on the court and the high odds that he was going to put an opponent on a poster on any given night.

Now, Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft. He made the announcement on social media, calling Kentucky fans the “best fans in the world.”

While this may seem dire for folks keeping tabs on next year’s roster, that last line in Oweh’s announcement is crucial: “…while maintaining my NCAA eligibility.” Essentially, Otega’s time in Lexington is far from over, at least for the time being.

Advertisement

Whether or not “Tegatron” returns to Rupp will likely depend on what he hears during the draft process, and where exactly he wants to land. In the modern college basketball landscape, it’s become common practice for players to “test the waters” in the draft, just to get an idea as to where they stand with the league, before returning to college for another year of development.

Take, for example, Jaxson Robinson just last season. Before his eventual transfer to Kentucky, Robinson declared for the draft out of BYU, maintaining his eligibility, before pulling from the process in order to spend his senior year at Kentucky. It happens all the time.

While that doesn’t necessarily set Oweh’s return in stone, it at least gives the Big Blue Nation to take a breather and keep calm, as his departure is far from official. Either way, #00 is a Lexington legend whose first go-around in Kentucky blue was as memorable as anyone’s could be. The “Oweh, Oweh, Oweh” chants will go on regardless.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

Four Star Forward Visiting Kentucky Amidst Recruitment Rumors

Mark Pope is looking to close out a strong sophomore effort in the transfer portal, and this freshman guard may be the final piece.

Published

on

Four star guard Braydon Hawthorne is on a visit to Kentucky.
Braydon Hawthorne | WVU Athletics

As the transfer portal trucks on (and the NCAA races to find ways to regulate it), Mark Pope is looking to tie a bow on his already highly-ranked 2025-26′ roster. The latest potential addition becomes in the form of a freshman who, after pulling his commitment from West Virginia, will be on an official visit to Kentucky today, Wednesday, April 16.

Braydon Hawthorne, the 6’8″ forward at hand, is a lengthy, scoring wing with high upside on the offensive end. His 7’3″ wingspan opens opportunities for development on the defensive end, too – he’s an investment opportunity of the highest order. On3 currently has him at 48th on their ranking of 2025 recruits.

In addition to Kentucky and West Virginia (where Hawthorne is from), schools such as Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Marquette, Dayton, Old Dominion, Mount St. Mary’s, and more have thrown their hats into the ring, although the general consensus seems to be that Kentucky has the strongest pull/interest in the prospect for the time being.

Advertisement

Whether or not that actually means he’ll be in blue and white is unfortunately unsure – as that’s how the transfer portal operates – but an in-person visit is a good indicator of mutual interest. Plus, with Kentucky “losing out” on Lamar Wilkerson, who committed to Indiana, a scoring spot in the back court remains open… and Hawthorne is a compelling candidate to fill it.

While Wildcats fans wait patiently for a potential commitment, all eyes are on Coach Cody Fueger’s X account for a trademark “boom” post.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

Brandon Garrison Announces Return To Kentucky For The 2025-26 Season

Published

on

Chet White | UK Athletics

Brandon Garrison isn’t going anywhere. 

The 6-foot-10 forward will be returning to the Kentucky Wildcats for his junior season in the 2025-26 campaign. 

Garrison took to social media first, posting a story on his personal Instagram that showed a simple graphic reading the words “I’m back.”

Advertisement

Speculation and rumors have swirled around the Oklahoma native all offseason, and with the addition of Andrija Jelavic, Big Blue Nation worried that Garrison would be hitting the portal sooner than later. 

Now, with his returning announcement public, Garrison will look to assert himself in the offseason as a dominant force that deserves the starting role.

Last season, he backed up Amari Williams, coming off of the bench and averaging 5.9 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game in just 17.3 minutes a night. 

It’s unclear if he’s guaranteed anything in regards to a starting spot. However, having played a year already in Mark Pope’s system, Garrison may get a nod for the role over one of the transfer pickups. 

Advertisement

Pope and the coaching staff have been publicly confident in the development of “BG” and see him as a vocal leader on and off the court. 

With a full offseason ahead where he’ll be harnessing his skill set and bettering his game in any way possible, Kentucky fans will be glad that Garrison chose to stick around another year. 

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending