Men's Basketball

Takeaways from Kentucky's Dominant Statement Win over #1 Tennessee

Published

6 years ago

February 17, 2019

I was confident in Kentucky’s chances against Tennessee and they won by 17. A big factor being Tennessee not playing a ranked team since Dec 10th. Since Tennessee’s win over Gonzaga that day, Vols have zero KenPom top-25 wins, Cats now have seven in that same span (including UT). Let’s take a look and analyze Kentucky’s statement win over the #1 team in the country.

PJ Washington has a shot at SEC Player of the Year

Anyone watching the game could see that PJ Washington was the best player on the floor and exposed Grant Williams who was pegged preseason SEC player of the year. In 7 of the last 8 games, Washington has scored 20 or more points and is averaging 21.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, and 1.3 bpg on 55.4% FG and 50% 3P. PJ Washington’s recent performances are proof that he made the best decision to come back for his sophomore year. PJ is playing like one of the best bigs in the country and his performance against #1 Tennessee definitely improved his case for national awards.

This is NOT the Typical Calipari Team

Coming into the season and we knew this was a team that had a chance to be special and they showed that on the biggest stage against the #1 team in the country. Most Cal teams are stereotyped as “young and soft”. However, this team has experienced bigs that were not afraid of Tennessee’s physicality. From the tip, Kentucky was prepared to bully Tennessee and did just that outrebounding Tennessee by 13.

Ashton Hagans Broke Through the Freshman Wall

Calipari has talked about the metaphorical Freshman wall that many freshmen at Kentucky hit during the season. Hagans appeared to hit that wall three games ago as he was averaging 4.7 ppg, 4.7 apg, 1.7 rpg, and 3 TOpg along with 38.5% FG and 20% 3P. Hagans regained his aggressiveness against Tennessee with a 9 pts, 7 ast, 2 reb, 1 TO, and 50% FG performance. For this team to reach its peak performance, Hagans needs to be a leader that can defend the perimeter and is aggressive and efficient on the offensive end, and that’s just what Hagans was last night.

Tyler Herro Showcases He Is More Than a Shooter

Coming into the season we anticipated Tyler Herro to be one of the premier shooters on this years team. While that has been the case (35.5% 3P, 45.5% FG, 91.8% FT) he has shown that he is much more than a shooter. Herro is second on the team in assists and steals with 2.3 apg and 1.0 spg, showing that he is able to distribute the ball and although not amazingly quick, he has the ability to get into passing lanes. As a 6-5 guard he rebounds and gets after it on the boards, averaging 4.0 rpg on the season, Herro finished the game with a quiet double-double with 15 pts and 13 reb.

This Team Still Has Room to Grow

Although more experienced than most Kentucky teams under Calipari, this team is still young with five freshmen (six if you count Baker as a redshirt freshman). Since losing to Duke by 34 points on opening night, Kentucky has clawed their way back into the national championship conversation, and deservingly so. Kentucky is currently ranked 14th in offensive efficiency and 7th in defensive efficiency (only 6 teams ranked in top-20 in each category). Kentucky looked very impressive and received positive contributions from each player. However, Kentucky still showed room for improvement when allowing Tennessee to go on a 13-0 run in 2 1/2 min to cut the lead to 10 as they made plenty of mental mistakes and showed a struggle with the zone. Trust in Cal as he always has his best product on the floor come March!

Team Stats

Box Score

Beating the #1 team in the country by 17 points, it has been a great weekend for the Big Blue Nation. GO C-A-Y-T-S!

Men's Basketball

History Made: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Crowned NBA Finals MVP

Published

19 hours ago

June 23, 2025

Isaiah Pinto

Associated Press

For the first time ever, the Oklahoma City Thunder have reached the mountain top, beating the Indiana Pacers in a win or go home game seven, becoming NBA Champions.

Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hoisted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award in front of more than 18,000 fans in Oklahoma City after leading the Thunder with 30.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.8 blocks in the Finals.

The former Wildcat posted 29 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds in the series defining game where the Thunder won 103-91. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA Finals in points.

Not only is Gilgeous-Alexander making NBA history for becoming only the 11th player to win league MVP, the NBA Finals and Finals MVP, but he joins an exclusive club of Hall of Famers, consisting of Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kareem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James.

James was the last “triple-crown” winner in 2013 as a member of the Miami Heat.

Gilgeous-Alexander made Kentucky history by becoming the first ever former Kentucky player to win Finals MVP. Last month, Gilgeous-Alexander made history by becoming the first Kentucky alum to earn league MVP.

This was an incredibly impressive feat considering Gilgeous-Alexander is one out of 137 ex-Kentucky players to play professional basketball, and now is the only one to claim those honors.

Another fellow Wildcat, Cason Wallace, joined Gilgeous-Alexander in a historic list of fellow Kentucky products to win the NBA Finals. The most recent players consist of Jamal Murray in 2023, Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo in 2020, Jodie Meeks in 2019, and Rondo’s first ring in 2008, respectively.

Wallace averaged six points and 2.6 rebounds in the season-defining series.

This NBA Championship is technically the second in the organization’s history, with the first coming in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Washington Bullets in five games. However, this marks the first time the franchise has boasted an NBA Championship as the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In 2008, the SuperSonics, with a rookie Kevin Durant, left Seattle and relocated to the midwest and rebranded as the Thunder. Five years later, the Thunder, led by future MVPs Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, would lose in five games to the Miami Heat.

It has truly been an unforgettable season for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. Oklahoma City accomplished the unthinkable, winning the most games in it history with an NBA-best 68-14 record.

The Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in round one, beat the Denver Nuggets in a seven-game series and bested the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games to win the Western Conference Championship en route to their NBA Finals victory.

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball’s Practice Facility Sees Major Makeover

The Joe Craft Center, after years of casual criticism from Wildcats fans, has finally been given an upgrade.

Published

3 days ago

June 21, 2025

Lane Mills

UK Athletics

Maybe the weirdest qualm of many that plagued John Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky were the consistent complaints about the team’s practice facility, the Joe Craft Center.

From exaggerated rumors about leaks in the ceiling to general observations made about the court and facilities, fans, especially towards the end of that era, pointed to the Craft Center’s age as one of many signs of the times. Even in spite of occasional, supposed changes now and again.

In only his second year, Mark Pope has seemingly already addressed that complaint — at least to an extent.

The official Kentucky men’s basketball account recently posted a video across all social media platforms of the team during summer practice, featuring and obviously removed Craft Center court.

The court itself has been redone, in addition to the graphics and banners on the wall. Alongside the hanging threads celebrating the program’s eight national championships, a ninth one has been tacked onto the end.

It simply reads: “#9 – The Assignment.” If fans weren’t already excited enough for Coach Pope’s sophomore season, a ninth title banner being fixed in the renovation’s spotlight should send folks through the roof.

It may seem like a small thing, but given the program’s track record in the last few years, it’s the small things that feel the biggest. Mark Pope not only understands the assignment, but he’s making sure his team does, too.

Men's Basketball

Jasper Johnson Makes Final U19 USA Roster Under Coach Mark Pope

Jasper Johnson has advanced in the U19 USA camp for the second time alongside the nation’s best recruits, and under Mark Pope’s wing.

Published

4 days ago

June 20, 2025

Lane Mills

Instagram: @bruhjasperj (UK Athletics)

In a surprisingly relevant development smack dab in the middle of the offseason, Jasper Johnson has yet again advanced in the pool of players participating in the USA U19 camp.

The program, which could be a described as a sort of extension of the Team USA that just took home the gold in 2024, is comprised of some of the nation’s most anticipated talents set to take collegiate courts in the next couple of seasons.

Blue Gets In

Among them is Kentucky native and commit Johnson, and was also incoming Cat Malachi Moreno, before the latter was cut as a result of a mild injury he obtained throughout the camp’s course. Despite Moreno’s exit, his future teammate continues to impress.

Under the wing of Coach Mark Pope, who’s helmed the team in the camp up to this point, Johnson has now made the final cut after multiple roster slashes – he and only 11 other players remain in the minority that will go forward to actually compete for the team in the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, which will take place June 28 through July 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The pre-competition camp serves not only as a trial of play before these athletes disperse to their own respective rosters this fall and next, but for Johnson, as a preview of what it’s like to play under Coach Pope. If his current success is any indicator, Kentucky fans may be in for something special when the pair tackle opposing teams together for the blue and white.

In similar noteworthy news, also attending the event are Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes, two Kentucky-born athletes with ties to Kentucky that the program is heavily recruiting. Jasper’s strong performance, combined with Coach Pope’s presence, can only help the Wildcats’ chances on that front, too.

To say the least, Mark Pope has found a way to facilitate Kentucky’s influence far beyond the boundaries of Lexington. He and Johnson, for the time being, will continue to press turn heads on the national stage, and it’s very likely that fans aren’t the only ones paying attention.