Men's Basketball

The Morning After: Four Things To Know after Kentucky vs. Duquesne

Published

3 years ago

November 12, 2022

UK Athletics

In game two of what Cats fans hope will be a long season ahead, Kentucky hosted the Duquesne Dukes at Rupp Arena on Friday Night.

The Wildcats were still without Damion Collins and Oscar Tshiebwe on Friday night, but Sahvir Wheeler did make a return to the court, making his impact felt.

To start, the Wildcats were a little sluggish as they didn’t hit double-digits until the 13-minute mark of the first half. However, Sahvir Wheeler check in off the bench and dished three straight assists, and hit a layup to ignite the Wildcat offense. This gave Kentucky some momentum and allowed them to create separation and enter halftime with a 38-22 lead.

Coming out of the half, Duquesne went on a quick 7-0 run that cut the lead to single digits. While Kentucky made some runs of their own, they had just an 11-point lead with just 11 minutes to go. Finally, Fredrick-Reeves-Toppin went on a 12-2 run themselves and Kentucky never looked back.

To summarize, the Wildcats were dominant in almost every asset, coming out of Rupp Arena with a 77-52 win, covering their 19-point spread.

Let’s talk about it.

Sahvir Wheeler shows his impact in return

For what was Sahvir Wheeler’s season opener, he looked to have already found his groove. Prior to the game, it was reported that Wheeler would only see 10-15 minutes of action, but ended up playing 27 minutes, and did plenty of good.

Coming off the bench, the senior guard already had 4 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds through his first five minutes of action. Wheeler finished with a double-double scoring 11 points and adding 11 assists and 2 steals.

Looking more in-depth, Wheeler went 1-2 from the three-point line and limited his turnovers, only having 2 for his 27 minutes of play.

While some fans are calling for Cason Wallace to be the starting point guard, Wheeler proved his value once again. The Bob Cousy award finalist and SEC assist leader was +32 on the night, with Antonio Reeves in second at +20.

Bench impact

The biggest story of the Kentucky offense against Duquesne was the bench production.

The starting five consisted of the same live last game, Wallace-Fredrick-Reeves-Livingston-Toppin. Off the bench, Onyenso-Reeves-Wheeler combined for 38 points, nearly half of Kentucky’s 77 points.

While Wheeler will most likely be starting for the remainder of the season, Reeves and Onyenso will be two of the biggest contributors off the bench and the best was seen from both on Friday night.

The duo affected the game on both ends. On offense, they combined for a total of 27 points on an efficient 56 percent from the field, as well as two of the highest offensive ratings. On the other end, the pair combined for four blocks and also had two of the highest defensive ratings.

The bench contribution should improve even more with the return of Collins, and when Livingston is moved back.

Onyenso continues to impress

Ugonna Onyenso should be a high school senior this year, but instead, he reclassified and is making an impact for the Kentucky Wildcats.

In the absence of Oscar Tshiebwe, the freshman has stepped up in both regular season games in a big way. Through the exhibitions and the first two regular season games, Onyenso has proven that he is an elite rim protector and can rebound well, but it is clear his offense is a bit behind.

On Friday night, Onyenso had an impressive 10 rebounds and three blocks, but also scored 9 points. Wheeler set the freshman big up with a few baskets, but Onyenso also showed the ability to create opportunities for himself.

In the freshman’s first two games he is averaging just under 20 minutes per game, but is making use of his time on the floor, floating with a double-double; averaging 7.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks.

When a player is playing with that level of efficiency, it is going to be hard to keep him off the floor.

Guard-play

The guard play for the Cats had another impressive outing.

All four guards – Fredrick, Reeves, Wallace, and Wheeler – scored at least 8 points for the Wildcats, and shot a combined 55 percent from the field. Yet they performed even better from the perimeter.

As a team, the Cats shot 11-19 (58%) from 3-point range. Of course, CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves accounted for eight of the threes, but Wallace and Wheeler both hit one apiece as well.

It is early, but Fredrick and Reeves are both shooting over fifty percent from three on thirty combined attempts. The duo looks to be among the purest shooters in the Cal era, and could put themselves in the program record books.

What may be the most impressive stat, Kentucky had 22 assists on 28 made field goals, giving them a 79 percent assist percentage. For reference, East Carolina had the highest assist percentage in the country last season at 67.2 percent.

Right now, it seems that in nearly any rotation Calipari draws up, the guards seem to play well with one another and it will interesting to see how that develops over the course of the season.

Through two games, the Cats have performed very well despite not being at full strength. However, it is expected for Collins and Tshiebwe to make their season debut against Michigan State on Tuesday night.

With that said, Kentucky seems to be playing well and prepared regardless of lineup.

Related Topics:Antonio Reeves Cason Wallace CJ Fredrick Damion Collins Duquesne Oscar Tshiebwe Sahvir Wheeler Ugonna Onyenso

BB Recruiting

James Madison Transfer Justin McBride to Visit Kentucky on Tuesday

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky will host James Madison transfer James McBride for a visit on Tuesday, after communicating with Mark Pope and the staff via Zoom video call.

James Madison Athletics

While much of the attention in the transfer portal goes to the top targets, you need to build a full roster. Still with starting spots to be claimed, Kentucky also looking at depth pieces. The most recent, James Madison transfer Justin McBride.

After talking to the staff this week via Zoom video call, McBride is scheduled to take a visit to Lexington on Tuesday.

A three-star transfer, ranked 201st overall according to 247Sports, McBride is being recruited by multiple power conference teams including Baylor and Cal, as well as SEC foes Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Out of high school, McBride was a four-star recruit, ranked in the top 150 nationally.

“He is a versatile player who has that IT factor about him. You can tell by the passion he plays with that there is a huge chip on his shoulder,” 247Sports asked program director Vonzell Thomas said as he evaluated McBride out of high school. “What I like about his game is his will to win. He does whatever it takes to win and not every kid has that mentality.”

From Texas, McBride committed to Oklahoma State over the likes of Kansas and Arkansas, where he played alongside former Wildcat Bandon Garrison. There, he appeared in just 24 games, averaging just over five minutes per game.

Seeking a larger role, McBride entered the transfer portal and dropped to the mid-major level, committing to Nevada. With the Wolfpack he nearly tripled both his minutes and production, averaging 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game. His most recent stop, James Madison this past season, McBride had a breakout year, averaging 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds on 40 percent shooting from deep.

Entering his senior season, the 6-7, 240 pound McBride is eyeing a jump back to the power conference level, prioritizing fit at his next stop.

Will that be Kentucky?

McBride has good size and athleticism, and has an inside-out style of game. Meaning he can work his away around the paint, but can also space the floor with his shooting, grading fairly well as a catch and shoot guy. Overall, he ranks in the 97th percentile in scoring volume. That said, there is come consistency to be lacked on the defensive side.

BB Recruiting

Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

Published

2 weeks ago

April 8, 2026

Tristan Pharis

The transfer portal is active, and Zoom stock is going up as college coaches are video chatting around the clock to build their rosters, including Kentucky.

On Wednesday, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff added three more names to the Zoom list.

Alex Wilkins (Guard, Furman), 4⭐️, 46th-ranked transfer

Class: Sophomore
Physicals: 6-5, 175 lbs
Last season averages: 17.8 PPG, 4.7 APG, 46% FG, 32.8% 3P

An underrated prospect coming out of high school, Wilkins splashed on the scene this year at Furman. As a freshman, he led his team to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.8 points and 4.7 assists and earning second team All-SoCon honors.

There were few players as critical to their team’s success as Wilkins, leading the SoCon in possession usage (34.4%) and shot usage (31.7%). That does lend some explanation to his poor shooting splits and turnover concerns (3.8 turnovers per game).

A quick, wirey guard, Wilkins is a capable scorer at all three levels, and can create for his teammates. However, he needs to add some muscle for power conference competition, and needs to have more consistent effort on the defensive end.

A freshman, those are both correctable things.

Isaac Celiscar (Forward, Yale), 4⭐️, 84th-ranked transfer

Class: Junior
Physicals: 6-6, 210 lbs
Last season averages: 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 57.3% FG, 40.7% 3P

Isaac Celiscar is one of the most efficient, versatile players in the transfer portal.

The first takeaway, averaging 13.2 point per game with 57.3 percent shooting, he is extremely efficient on limited opportunities. Shooting nearly 41 percent from deep, he is a threat from deep as well. That efficiency carries over to his passing, as he averages more than three assists per game, on just 1.3 turnovers per game.

Celiscar grades out as a glue-guy with great offensive skills and good feel for the game, but he does have limitations in terms of his athleticism and shot creation.

Jalen Cox (Guard, Colgate), 3⭐️ , 149th-ranked transfer

Class: Senior
Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Last season averages: 17.9 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.0 RPG, 52.1% FG, 36.5% 3P

Jalen Cox is the lowest ranked player Kentucky has reached out to, but the Wildcats need depth and Cox is a experienced guard with proven production.

Averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 assists (2.0+ assist-to-turnover ratio) per game on 52 percent shooting from the field, Cox is a versatile and efficient offensive player. He has also multiple conference All-Defense selections too, making him a two way player.

The biggest concern with Cox is his athletic ceiling and how that translates to power conference competition. However an experienced two way player is a great rotation piece.

BB Recruiting

Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday

Published

2 weeks ago

April 8, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky met with Saint Mary's transfer Paulius Muruaskas, one of the top forwards in the transfer portal, on Wednesday and is looking to schedule a visit for him to come to Lexington.

Saint Mary's Athletics

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are as busy as anyone in the transfer portal. On Wednesday, they met with their biggest fish of this transfer portal cycle so far, Paulius Murauskas.

Originally scheduled for Thursday, the Wildcats met with Murauskas via Zoom video call on Wednesday, per source.

Currently ranked 4th overall in 247Sports transfer rankings, the top-ranked forward, Murauskas is the prototypical modern basketball player. Good size at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, with the ability to create for himself and others, has a good handle, and overall good feel for the game.

Murauskas started his collegiate career at Arizona after some professional experience in Lithuania. Playing just five minutes per game with the Wildcats as a freshman, Murauskas transferred to Saint Mary’s, where he has flourished and earned All-Conference honors the last two seasons.

This past season, Murauskas averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. As for his weaknesses, he is not super athletic, and he does need to be more consistent with his shot.

Originally thought to follow former Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett to Arizona State, Murauskas is exploring all options. Following the Zoom, Kentucky is trying to get him on campus for a visit in the near future.