UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
BLUE-WHITE GAME
RUPP ARENA | LEXINGTON, KY.
OCT. 22, 2021
ATTENDANCE: 11,678
Final Score: Blue 108, White 80

Game Notes

• This was the 13th season the Blue-White Game was played in Rupp Arena. There was no Blue-White Game last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Tonight’s attendance was 11,678.
• The teams combined to shoot 53.3% from the floor (79 of 148). The Blue team shot 58.0% and 40.7% from 3-point range. The White team was 47.8% from the floor but 36.8% from long range.
• Perhaps the key to the Blue victory: ball distribution and security. Blue dished out 25 assists with just seven turnovers while White mustered just eight assists with 14 turnovers.
• Kentucky returns to the court Oct. 29 at Rupp Arena with the first of two exhibition games. UK’s first tune-up will be against Kentucky Wesleyan at 7 p.m. on SEC Network. The Wildcats’ second exhibition game will be Nov. 5 vs. Miles College. That game will also be a 7 p.m. tip on SEC Network in Rupp Arena.
• The regular season begins Nov. 9 with a neutral-court date vs. Duke on ESPN as part of the State Champions Classic in New York.

 
In the First Half

• The White team’s starting lineup consisted of graduate guard Davion Mintz, redshirt sophomore guard Dontaie Allen, graduate guard Kellan Grady, junior forward Keion Brooks Jr. and sophomore forward Lance Ware.
• The Blue team opened with junior guard Sahvir Wheeler, freshman guard TyTy Washington Jr., freshman forward Bryce Hopkins, freshman forward Daimion Collins and junior forward Oscar Tshiebwe.
• Tshiebwe opened the game with a layup on the first possession. Allen followed on the next possession with a 3 for the Blue squad’s first bucket.
• The teams got off to a fast start offensively. At the first media timeout, Blue had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting and White had 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
• Trailing 11-10, Blue went on a 9-0 run to take a 19-11. Tshiebwe scored six of the nine points.
• Blue led by as many as 19 points on three different occasions in the first half and as early as the 3:50 mark when Wheeler put Blue up 46-27 with 3:50 left in the half.
• White got back in the game with a trio of 3-pointers from Washington (one behind the line and one the old-fashioned way) and Mintz to cut the deficit to 52-42. Blue took a 55-44 lead into halftime.
• Tshiebwe was a force in the first half. He led all scorers with 15 points and nine rebounds.
• After switching from Blue to White midway through the first half, Washington settled in nicely. He scored 12 of his 14 first-half points for White.  
• Collins was also in double-digit scoring with 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting, including a 3-pointer. He added four rebounds and two blocks.
• Ware was solid in the first half with 10 points and six rebounds.
• Grady scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
• Wheeler was solid with a first-half-high seven assists to go along with nine points.
• Both teams shot it well. Blue was 24 of 41 from the floor (58.5%) and White was 19 of 36 (52.8%).  

 
In the Second Half

• With limited depth in an intrasquad scrimmage, the second half was a running clock.
• Blue snuffed out the late first-half momentum of the White team and pulled away early.
  • Brooks pushed the lead to 68-50 with a jumper with 15:25 left in the first half and then got it to 86-59 on an Allen jumper at the 9:43 mark.
• Junior Brennan Canada (White) and redshirt junior Zan Payne (Blue) entered the game for the first time at the 6:03 mark. Sophomore Kareem Watkins (Blue) came in at the 4:00 mark.
• Allen got the Blue team over the 100-point mark with a 3-pointer. 
• The biggest lead of the game was 108-75 with 3:01 left in the game.
• With only three subs between the two teams – redshirt junior guard CJ Fredrick and junior forward Jacob Toppin were medically unavailable to play – head coach John Calipari ended the game with 1:27 left on the clock.
• Brooks played well in the second half with 14 points after intermission.
   

Player Notes  

• Oscar Tshiebwe was dominant from start to finish. He totaled game highs in points (25) and rebounds (21).

  • Fourteen of his 21 rebounds were on the offensive end.
  • Tshiebwe was 12 of 15 from the floor.
• Playing for both squads, TyTy Washington Jr. combined for 24 points and a game-high-tying 10 assists.
  • He was 3 for 5 from behind the 3-point line.
  • He had a game-high three steals.
• Sahvir Wheeler also had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high-tying 10 assists.
• Lance Ware went toe to toe with Tshiebwe for most of the night and held his own with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
• Daimion Collins scored 22 points and made 3 of 4 from long range.
• Bryce Hopkins recorded 18 points and nine boards.
• Keion Brooks Jr. totaled 20 points.
• Dontaie Allen had 16 points on 7 of 13 shooting.
• Kellan Grady made half his shots (7 of 14) on the way to 16 points.