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Men's Basketball

The Morning After: Kentucky’s Exhibition Win Over Missouri Western State

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2 years ago

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UK Athletics

Following a humbling loss to Tennessee on Saturday night, the Big Blue Nation needed a pick-me-up, and the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team provided that in their preseason exhibition against Missouri Western on Sunday night, winning 56-38.

It is important to note that Defending National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe did not play due to a minor knee procedure that he had done earlier this month.

However, he was on the court with warmups on, dribbling a ball on the baseline before the game, and is anticipated to be ready for the season opener on November 7th.

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With that said, let’s get to the game.

Calipari elected to start four seniors (Fredrick, Reeves, Toppin, Wheeler) and a sophomore (Collins) on Sunday night, which is not typical for a Calipari team.

Kentucky started the game slowly on the offensive end, which continued throughout the half, scoring just 26 points on 11/27 shooting.

However, Kentucky did play well on the defensive end – albeit against inferior competition – holding Missouri Western State to just 18 points.

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In the second half, the offense improved, despite losing Sahvir Wheeler to injury, and did enough to win going away.

Now, let’s take a closer look at Kentucky’s performance.

Sahvir Wheeler Injury

The biggest story to come from this one was the injury to Kentucky starting point guard Sahvirf Wheeler, who went down with a leg injury in the second half and had to be helped off the floor.

While Wheeler certainly has his limitations, Kentucky is a better team with him healthy. This would be a brutal loss if he has an extended absence, so hopefully, this turns out to be something relatively minor.

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Jacob Toppin

For the previous two seasons, Jacob Toppin has provided an important spark with his ability to run the floor, rebound, and defend at a high level.

With his return, there has been a strong belief that this could be Toppin’s breakout season.

Throughout the offseason, the self-confidence was very apparent, and in the Bahamas, he debuted his much-improved offensive game and was the team’s second-leading scorer (16.8 ppg).

On Sunday night, he continued to show that he will be a versatile and key offensive weapon for the Wildcats this season, scoring an efficient 10 points (4/6 FG, 1/3 3P) in the first half alone but missed his only two shots in the second half.

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Block Party

Kentucky’s last addition to this season’s roster was Ugonna Onyenso, a 2023 reclassification from Nigeria. Standing 7-foot tall, with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, Onyenso was a four-star recruit and was tabbed one of the best rim protectors in the country.

Unfortunately, Onyenso did not get to play in the Bahamas but joined the team in late August.

Despite limited time with the team, the 4-star freshman impressed in his first action as a Kentucky Wildcat, blocking a total of five shots in just 15 minutes.

When Onyenso first joined the team, it was unsure if he would contribute this year. At this point, I think it is entirely possible, if not probable, that he will be a part of the frontcourt rotation.

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Offensive Struggles

As mentioned before, Oscar Tshiebwe did not play tonight, therefore the offense did not have its typical makeup. With that said, without him, the Wildcat offense looks to have a long way to go.

For the game, Kentucky scored just 56 points, the lowest amount of points scored by UK in an exhibition in the Calipari era.

Despite the offensive inconsistency, there were some positives including CJ Fredrick’s three-point shooting (4/6 3P) and the transition offense (20 total fastbreak points).

As for the latter, this team has the potential to be elite defensively, which will create some offensive opportunities. Expect Calipari to continue his mantra of coaching defense first and allowing the offense to develop over the course of the season.

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Yet, when Tshiebwe returns, he will attract a lot of attention, and it will open the floor for the rest of the team. Expect the offense to look much more reminiscent of the team that scored at least 98 points in four games in the Bahamas.

There was some good and bad, but Kentucky got a double-digit win, and we can continue to laugh at Louisville Cardinals losing their exhibition.

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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."
ESPN

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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