LEXINGTON, Ky. — We’ve heard it all before, right? The fabulous freshmen class. The deadeye shooters who knock down every shot in practice. The team-bonding culture that makes this the closest Kentucky basketball team ever. Rinse and repeat.
Yet for someone, i.e. me, who has been a bit skeptical about the hype surrounding this 2022-23 Wildcats edition, I have to admit being impressed by UK’s 95-63 rout of Howard in the regular-season opener Monday night at Rupp Arena.
Yes, the opponent was Howard, a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team that was 16-13 last season and ranked No. 230 in Ken Pomeroy’s preseason number-crunching. Yes, the Cats were expected to make quick work of their mid-major foe.
Ah, but Kentucky was without three key players Monday in reigning national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe (knee), starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler (leg) and expected starter Daimion Collins (bereavement after the unexpected death last week of his father). Coach John Calipari had but eight scholarship players available.
The Cats rolled anyway. They led 49-26 at halftime. The shot 58.1% in the second half, 54.8% for the game. After missing their first five 3-point shots, they made 11 of their next 19. They were credited with 20 assists on 34 made baskets. They made 10 steals, blocked five shots and held Howard to 27.8% shooting the first half and 34.8% for the game.
“We struggled to run plays,” Howard coach Kenny Blakeney said. “Credit the Kentucky defense for taking us out of the things we wanted to do.”
Most every Cat played well, but let’s focus on three in particular.
Antonio Reeves is a scorer. The Illinois State transfer is living up to his reputation as a points producer. He was the team’s MVP for the Cats’ four easy victories in the Bahamas. Monday night, he was 6 of 12 from 3-point range and 8 of 16 overall on the way to a game-high 22 points.
“He just has a knack, like I tell him, if you have an inch, let it go,” Calipari said. “And he and CJ; CJ was good again today.”
CJ Fredrick is a complete offensive player. The Iowa transfer’s reputation as a shooter fails to afford full credit to his overall game. Finally healthy, the former Covington Catholic star makes the smart plays. As Calipari gushed Monday, Fredrick played 36 minutes without committing a single turnover. He was also 2 of 5 from 3-point range on the way to 20 points.
(Note: In today’s basketball, you have to have shooters. You just do.)
Cason Wallace is a tough kid with a high upside. In his official debut, the freshman guard nearly produced a triple-double while starting at the point in place of Wheeler. Wallace finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. When informed that there have been only three triple-doubles in UK history, Wallace replied, “Yikes.”
Monday revealed other valuable nuggets. Did we mention that Jacob Toppin recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds? It will be interesting to see how Calipari deploys Ugonna Onyenso, a raw work-in-progress on offense but a shot-blocking force on defense. And Calipari’s best defensive teams have always been his best shot-blocking teams.
It will also be interesting to see how Calipari gets to the eight-man rotation he covets. Because he has 11 scholarship players does not mean he’s going to play 11 scholarship players.
“We’re going to have a couple of guys fighting for minutes,” Calipari said. “They’re all good problems.”
I know, I know, Monday’s opener was just that, the opener. One of one. One game does not a season make. If cards are played right, there could be as many as 39 games to go. True tests against Michigan State (Nov. 15), Gonzaga (Nov. 20), Michigan (Dec. 4) and UCLA (Dec. 17) will tell us much, much, much more before this Kentucky team enters into SEC play.
“To be honest, I didn’t think we’d have this kind of show,” Calipari said after the opener.
Indeed, it was an encouraging first show.
