UK MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
CENTRAL MICHIGAN at KENTUCKY
RUPP ARENA | LEXINGTON, KY.
NOV. 29, 2021
ATTENDANCE: 18,080

Final Score: No. 9/10 Kentucky 85, Central Michigan 57
 
Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky extended its winning streak to six games and is now 6-1 on the 2021-22 season. Central Michigan fell to 1-5 this season.

• UK improved to 3-0 all-time vs. CMU with two of the three games having taken place in Rupp Arena.  
• It was a reunion of sorts for Central Michigan head coach Tony Barbee, who served on staff at Kentucky from the 2014-15 season through the 2020-21 year. He was named CMU’s head coach following the 2020-21 season. 
  • Barbee fell to 0-6 vs. UK in his head coaching career with five of the previous losses coming in his stop at Auburn.
• Next up: Kentucky will finish its season-long seven-game home stand next week, on Dec. 7, when it hosts Southern at 7 p.m. in Rupp Arena. The game will be televised by SEC Network.
  • It will mark the return of former UK player Sean Woods, the current head coach of the Jaguars. A UK Athletics Hall of Famer, Woods (1989-92) is the program’s all-time leader in career assists per game (5.3) and was the program leader in career steals per game (1.582) at the conclusion of his career.
  • The game will mark the start of the five-year Unity Series. The Unity Series will feature annual games between UK and schools from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities. The games will seek to raise awareness of the missions of the HBCUs and to raise funds to provide opportunities for students at their institutions.

 
Team Notes

• Kentucky held Central Michigan to 57 points. The Wildcats are 194-9 (95.6%) under Calipari when limiting the opponent to 63 points or less.
• UK led by as many as 34 points. The Wildcats are 292-12 (96.1%) under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at any time during the contest.
• The Wildcats, who entered the contest No. 1 in the nation in rebounding margin, continued their rebounding dominance Monday with a plus-17 margin. UK has outrebounded all seven opponents this season and has a plus-19.4 average margin for the season.
  • The rebounding led to an 18-6 advantage on second-chance points.
• The Wildcats outscored the Chippewas 20-4 on fastbreak points.
  • UK has outscored its last three opponents by a combined 61-7 on fastbreak points.
• UK led the turnover count 15-6 and also dominated Central Michigan in the points-off-turnovers category, winning that battle 23-7.

 
Player Notes  

• Oscar Tshiebwe, the country’s leading rebounder, posted his sixth double-double of the season with 20 points and 16 rebounds.

  • It was his seventh straight game in double-figure rebounding to start the season.
  • It was his second game this season with at least 20 points and at least 15 rebounds
  • He is the first player to grab 10 or more rebounds in seven straight games since Julius Randle posted a 10-game streak in February and March of 2014.
  • He is tied for the national lead in double-doubles with six.
• TyTy Washington Jr reached double-figure scoring for the sixth straight game with 15 points.
  • He was 6 of 11 from the floor and is shooting better than 50% over the last six games.
  • He also made 3 of 5 from long distance and has made multiple 3-pointers in four of the last five games.
• Sahvir Wheeler, who entered the game first in the country with 9.2 assists per game, led all players Monday night with six. 

• Davion Mintz did not play due to illness for the third straight game.

 
Coach Calipari

• Calipari improved to 345-94 at UK.
• Calipari has a 790-234 all-time on-court record. 
• UK is 281-55 in games vs. unranked Associated Press competition and 172-11 vs. unranked foes in Rupp Arena.
• Calipari notched his first win vs. Central Michigan in his first meeting against the program.
• Calipari improved to 18-1 all-time vs. his former assistant coaches, including 9-0 vs. Tony Barbee.
• Kentucky is 194-17 in Rupp Arena under Calipari, winning the last six in a row.
• UK is 101-6 vs. nonconference foes under Calipari in Rupp Arena.

 
In the First Half

• Kentucky started Sahvir Wheeler, TyTy Washington Jr., Kellan Grady, Keion Brooks Jr. and Oscar Tshiebwe for the sixth time this season. UK is now 5-1 with that starting lineup.  
• UK raced to a 16-5 lead by the first media timeout (14:56) by hitting seven of their first eight shots, including two 3-pointers.
• The Wildcats extended their lead to 25-5 out of the gate with a 16-0 run overall over 3:24 of game time.
  • Wheeler dazzled over the 25-5 start with seven points and four assists while Tshiebwe added six points and five rebounds.
• The Wildcats scored on 11 of their first 13 possessions, missing just one of their first 11 shots with one turnover.
• Daimion Collins was the first sub for Kentucky at 14:55.
• Tshiebwe scored seven straight points in a 16-0 run midway through the half to increase its lead to a commanding 43-12 with 7:03 left in the first half.
• UK led 51-25 at halftime.
  • Kentucky’s 51 points were its most in a first half since scoring 51 vs. Winthrop on Nov. 21, 2018, a game UK won 87-74.
  • The 26-point halftime margin was Kentucky’s largest since Jan. 29, 2019, when UK led Vanderbilt 45-15 en route to a 87-52 win.
• UK scored 1.457 points per possession in the first half.
• The Wildcats shot 52.6% in the first half.
• Tshiebwe nearly had a double-double at halftime with 13 points and eight rebounds.
• Washington reached double-figure scoring with 10 points to go along with four boards.

 
In the Second Half

• Kentucky started the second half with the same starting five: Wheeler, Washington, Grady, Bryce Hopkins and Tshiebwe.
• The Wildcats stretched their lead to 65-31 with a 10-3 run early in the second half, the Wildcats’ largest lead of the game.
• Central Michigan would never get any closer than 26 points.