Kentucky Hosts UAlbany on Monday at Rupp Arena
Riding a three-game winning streak, Kentucky returns to action on Monday night, facing UAlbany at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky opened its season with a 79-71 loss to ninth-ranked Duke at Madison Square Garden in New York. Oscar Tshiebwe had 17 points and 20 rebounds in the loss, while Sahvir Wheeler had 16 points and 10 assists.
The Cats have won their subsequent three games, all by double figures. Kentucky thumped Robert Morris 100-60 behind 19 points from Kellan Grady and 14 points and 20 rebounds from Tshiebwe.
Kentucky then topped Mount St. Mary’s 80-55, with Tshiebwe scoring a career high 24 points and pulling down 16 rebounds. TyTy Washington Jr. had 16 points in the win.
Then on Friday, Kentucky got a test from Ohio before pulling away in the second half, winning 77-59. Keion Brooks Jr. led the Cats with 22 points, while Washington had 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
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| Kentucky vs. UAlbany | ||
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Mon., Nov. 22 – 7:00 p.m. ET |
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TV: SEC Network+ / ESPN+ |
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| UK | Stats | UA |
| 3-1 | Record | 3-0 |
| 82.0 | PPG | 59.3 |
| 63.2 | Opp PPG | 70.3 |
| .487 | FG% | .394 |
| .402 | Opp FG% | .441 |
| 45.2 | RPG | 30.8 |
| .388 | 3PT FG% | .278 |
| .286 | Opp 3PT FG% | .308 |
| 17.0 | APG | 8.5 |
| 5.8 | SPG | 8.3 |
| 5.3 | BPG | 3.3 |
For the season, Tshiebwe and Washington lead the Cats in scoring at 13.8 points per game. Tshiebwe also averages 16.5 rebounds per outing. Brooks scores 13.5 points per contest, while Wheeler averages 11.0 points and 8.5 assists.
UAlbany is 0-4 on the season, most recently falling to Eastern Kentucky 77-64 on Saturday night in Richmond. The Great Danes are led in scoring by 6-4 guard Matt Cerruti, who averages 12.3 points per game. De’Vondre Perry, a 6-7 transfer from Temple, is second on the team, averaging 12.0 points per game.
Monday’s game will be streamed exclusively on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ and will not be available via traditional television. More information about that can be found below.
This will be Kentucky’s last game before Thanksgiving. However, UK will return to action on Friday, hosting North Florida at Rupp Arena in the fifth of a seven-game homestand. Friday’s game is set for a 7 p.m. ET tip and can be seen on the SEC Network.
UAlbany, Central Michigan Games to Air Exclusively on SECN+, ESPN+
The Kentucky men’s basketball home games vs. UAlbany (Nov. 22) and Central Michigan (Nov. 29) will be streamed exclusively on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ and will not be available via traditional television.
Both games will tip at 7 p.m. at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
Every Southeastern Conference school has been assigned multiple SECN+ and ESPN+ games this season by the conference and its television partners.
Single-game tickets for the current home stand are available exclusively online at Ticketmaster.com or through the Ticketmaster app.
SEC Network+ is complementary to SEC Network viewers and accessible with your TV provider credentials. SECN+ can be accessed through the ESPN App on smartphones, tablets, connected streaming devices or via espn.com/watch.
ESPN+ is a standalone streaming service that requires a subscription separate from your TV provider credentials. It is available to stream through the ESPN App so your favorite connected streaming devices and on ESPN.com. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu with ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu without ads).
Fans who do not have access to SEC Network+ or ESPN+ are invited to listen to the UK Sports Network radio broadcast for free on the UK Athletics App, on a computer at UKAthletics.com or on UK Sports Network radio affiliates, including WBUL 98.1 FM/630 WLAP AM in Lexington.
Fans seeking guidance for games on SECN+/ESPN+ may contact ESPN customer care:
- Telephone: (888) 549.3776
- Sign up for ESPN+: plus.espn.com
- Support: support.espn.com/hc/en-us
Kentucky Rallies Past Ohio
Keion Brooks Jr. wasn’t surprised that Ohio challenged No. 13/11 Kentucky on Friday night. It took his 22-point game to spark the Wildcats to a 77-59 victory.
“They’re a good team,” Brooks said of Ohio (3-1). “We expected them to be good and that was our focus coming into the game, this is a quality team and if we didn’t play well, they can beat us. We knew they could beat us if we didn’t come ready.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari said it served as a learning experience for his squad.
“That team — I almost thought what in the world did I do, playing these guys,” he said. “You need tune-ups, you need tune-up games and some teams only play tune-up games. We don’t. We do have tune-ups and we have to have them on the schedule, but this game really showed us something.”
Freshman guard TyTy Washington Jr. added career-highs with 20 points and 12 rebounds for Kentucky, while Davion Mintz scored 12 points and Sahvir Wheeler had 11 .
Ben Vander Plas finished with a team-high 19 points and six rebounds for Ohio, followed by Jason Carter with 15 points and Mark Sears with 10.
The Wildcats used a big second half to fend off the Bobcats, who led for most of the first half. Brooks set the tone by scoring eight of the Wildcats’ first 10 points after halftime.
Kentucky was without leading scorer and rebounder Oscar Tshiebwe in the first half because he picked up two fouls in the first two minutes. But Kentucky outrebounded the Bobcats 26-19 in the first half and limited Ohio to just one shot on most possessions with 19 defensive rebounds.
In Kentucky’s first three games, Tshiebwe averaged 18.3 points and 18.7 rebounds per game, including 20 boards in each of the first two contests. On Friday, he did not score, but had 10 rebounds.
“He (didn’t care) about scoring,” Calipari said. “He just goes (back in the game) and chases down balls.”
Ohio (3-1) made five of its first six field goals and built a 22-14 lead before Kentucky rallied and led 40-38 at halftime.
The Bobcats made five 3-pointers in the first half, paced by Vander Plas’ three 3-pointers and 13 first-half points. Ohio ranked 10th in the nation in 3-point field goals with an average of 12 per game in its first three games. The Bobcats made eight against the Wildcats.
• It was the final game for Kentucky in the Kentucky Classic, a multi-team event. The Wildcats went 3-0
• Tshiebwe, Brooks and Washington were named to the All-Kentucky Classic Team. Tshiebwe was tabbed the MVP after averaging 12.7 points and 15.3 rebounds during the three games, Brooks averaged 15.0 points and 5.3 rebounds, and Washington averaged 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds during the event
• Kentucky dominated the rebounding 53-17 for a plus-36 margin, leading to a 17-6 advantage on second-chance points. The plus-36 margin was not only the most of the Calipari era, surpassing a plus-31 margin vs. NJIT on Nov. 14, 2015, it’s the largest rebounding margin since the Wildcats outrebounded Vanderbilt by 39 (57-18) on Jan. 3, 1998, in a 71-62 win
• UK made 16 of 17 at the foul line
• Tied at 48 with 14:07 remaining, Kentucky went on a 29-9 run for a 77-57 lead. Ohio did not get a 2-point basket or free throw for 14 minutes before ending the game with a breakaway dunk
• According to ESPN Stats & Info, Washington became the third Wildcat under Calipari to amass at least 20 points, at least 10 rebounds and at least five assists in a game, joining Isaiah Briscoe and James Young
Cleaning the Glass
With the aforementioned Oscar Tshiebwe leading the nation in rebounding, Kentucky is one of the top teams in the country on the boards.
Through games on Nov. 19, UK is fifth in the country in rebounding margin with a plus-19.5 average per game. The Wildcats have outrebounded all four of their opponents by at least nine boards in every game.
It’s still very early in the season, but the best rebounding margin of the John Calipari era was plus-9.4 in 2013-14 and again in 2018-19.
Against Ohio, Kentucky outrebound the Bobcats by 36, the top rebounding margin of the Calipari era and the school’s best since the Wildcats outrebounded Vanderbilt by 39 (57-18) on Jan. 3, 1998, in a 71-62 win
With Tshiebwe’s nation-leading 34.7% offensive rebounding percentage, UK is 13th in the country in offensive rebounds per game with 16.5 per contest. The Wildcats have capitalized with the additional opportunities with 16.8 second- chance points per game.
