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Men's Basketball

The Morning After: Four Things to Know after Kentucky vs. Kentucky State

Published

2 years ago

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UK Athletics

On a somber Thursday night, the fans and team honored the father of Damion Collins, Ben Collins, as Kentucky played their final “tune-up” game before the start of the regular season.

This time against the Kentucky State Thorobreds, and the Wildcats put on an honorable performance in a 111-53 victory.

Despite playing with just eight scholarship players, with three key players out – Damion Collins (grieving loss of father), Oscar Tshiebwe (injury), Sahvir Wheeler (injury) – the Kentucky Wildcats looked impressive.

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After a lackluster performance on Sunday, Kentucky put on an offensive clinic, while still holding the Thorobreds to under 28 percent shooting from the field and from three.

Let’s get into the specifics.

First-game jitters are gone

Scoring just 56 points in their exhibition against Missouri Western State, the Wildcats looked off. On Thursday, Kentucky scored nearly doubled the number of points (111), scoring efficiently and at ease.

A big reason for that is that players who played poorly in the previous exhibition, stepped up in a big way, most notably Chris Livingston and Antonio Reeves.

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After combining for just a total of seven points against Missouri Western State, the duo balled out and were two of the team’s three leading scorers, scoring 23 and 14 respectively. They also scored efficiently, Livingston only missed one of his seven shots, while Reeves shot 50 percent from the field and three.

It wasn’t just Livingston and Reeves playing well, but six different players scored in double figures and the team only accounted for 10 turnovers.

Shown by the even scoring and limited amount of turnovers, it seems fair to say that the players got their first-game jitters out.

Three-point shooting

Last season, the responsibility for the three-point shooting primarily fell on the shoulders of Kellan Grady and Davion Mintz, and the consistency was not always there.

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This season, the hope is that responsibility is more spread out as Kentucky has two elite shooters – CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves – and several capable shooters – Chris Livingston, Adou Thiero, and Cason Wallace.

On Thursday night, the best of Kentucky’s shooting was on display as they made 12 of their 26 three-point attempts, with five different players making a three. Be reminded, this is without Oscar Tshiebwe to help spread the floor or Sahvir Wheeler to penetrate and kick out.

To no surprise, Fredrick and Reeves led the way, hitting three and five three-point shots respectively. More interestingly, Wallace shot eight threes, and while he only made two of them, it showed that he is not afraid to shoot it and can provide shooting at the point guard position when needed.

Ugonna play

Ugonna Onyenso is going to play.

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After recording 5 blocks in 15 minutes on Sunday night, Onyenso followed that performance with 11 rebounds and four blocks in 18 minutes on Thursday night. For reference, that is a 23.3 percent block percentage. This is higher than the highest block recorded percentage (Walker Kessler, 19.05%) since it started being collected in 2009.

Albeit these past two exhibition games have been against inferior and smaller competition, Onyenso has made an impact in limited playing time.

If Onyenso can carry this level of play into the regular season and continue to do things that set him apart – blocking and rebounding -, expect him to compete with Lance Ware and Damion Collins for playing time.

Injuries

Oscar Tshiebwe is recovering from minor knee surgery and Sahvir Wheeler suffered a minor knee injury in Kentucky’s last exhibition. Both sat out on Thursday tonight, originally with the expectation that they would be ready to go.

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While neither is expected to be long-term issues, they could keep them out longer than originally thought.

Following Kentucky’s exhibition win on Thursday night, John Calipari said he would be “stunned” if Tshiebwe played on Monday, and would be “somewhat surprised” if he played Friday.

While Wheeler’s timeline is TBD, it seems that Tshiebwe will be out at least the first week of the regular season, but will hopefully be ready to go against Michigan State in the Champion’s Classic on Nov. 15th.

In encouraging news, Thsiebwe was seen jumping around in warmups on Thursday night while Wheeler also looked healthy, not wearing any brace nor showing any sign of pain.

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Men's Basketball

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

Published

1 day 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

Published

2 days ago

on

November 22, 2024

By

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

By

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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