Injuries Providing Opportunities for Younger Cats
Kentucky men’s basketball associate coach Orlando Antigua took an optimistic view to his team’s injury situation on Wednesday. While the Cats won while shorthanded on Monday night, Antigua hopes that the current situation can benefit UK long-term.
Kentucky moved to 4-1 on the season with an 86-61 win over Albany on Monday night at Rupp Arena. Playing shorthanded, Kentucky relied heavily on its starting five, and that quintet came through.
TyTy Washington Jr. led the Cats with 20 points and Keion Brooks Jr. had 17 points to go with eight rebounds. Sahvir Wheeler added 15 points and seven assists, while Kellan Grady had 14 points. Oscar Tshiebwe had 12 points and 14 rebounds in the game for the Cats.
Without CJ Fredrick, Davion Mintz, Jacob Toppin and Lance Ware, there were minutes to be had by freshmen Daimion Collins and Bryce Hopkins. Antigua hopes the experienced gained by these two players can help the team down the stretch of this season.
“It’s giving Bryce and Daimion an opportunity to come out and get some great experience and playing time,” Antigua said. “So, it’s going to benefit us down the road. It’s a long season and injuries are something we have to deal with in athletics. They’ve been great in doing what we’ve asked of them.”
 |
||
| Kentucky vs. North Florida | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Fri., Nov. 26 – 7:00 p.m. ET |
||
| Coverage | ||
|
TV: SEC Network |
||
| UK | Stats | UNF |
| 4-1 | Record | 1-5 |
| 82.8 | PPG | 66.7 |
| 63.8 | Opp PPG | 71.8 |
| .497 | FG% | .420 |
| .388 | Opp FG% | .439 |
| 45.8 | RPG | 29.7 |
| .378 | 3PT FG% | .383 |
| .284 | Opp 3PT FG% | .337 |
| 16.2 | APG | 14.2 |
| 5.2 | SPG | 6.2 |
| 5.8 | BPG | 4.2 |
Specifically, Hopkins figures to be the beneficiary of more playing time if his injured/ill teammates are not able to go. Antigua wants Hopkins to understand what he needs to do to get more minutes.
“It’s given Bryce an opportunity to get better defensively, understand our schemes and get in better shape,” Antigua said. “He still has a very bright future and this time has helped him.”
Hopkins has flashed his game already this season. His ability to do multiple things intrigues that UK coaching staff.
“Bryce has a lot of versatility to his game,” Antigua said. “He can handle the ball, he’s got a great touch. He’s someone that you can certainly throw in the post or have out on the perimeter.”
North Florida is 1-5 on this season, having faced a very tough schedule in November. The Ospreys lost at Texas Tech, at Texas A&M, at Arizona State, at Grand Canyon and at UCLA. Most recently, North Florida earned their first win of the season, topping Webber International on Saturday.
Lexington Christian Academy alum Carter Hendrickson leads the Ospreys in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. Sophomore guard Jose Placer averages 10 points and a team-high 3.2 assists.
The Cats hope to get healthy and have their full compliment of players very soon. But while some players continue to recover and rehab, others are being given opportunities to get minutes that they might not have seen otherwise.
No. 10/13 Wildcats Top Great Danes
TyTy Washington Jr. is making the most of his increased playing time.
Washington scored 20 points for the second straight game, Keion Brooks Jr. added 17 points and No. 10/13 Kentucky beat Albany 86-61 on Monday night for its fourth consecutive victory.
The Wildcats (4-1) led throughout but played at a slower pace than usual in building a 46-35 advantage early in the second half. A few spurts, including an 8-0 run to make it 61-39 with 8:28 remaining, put the game out of reach.
“Well, the biggest thing is you make a couple of shots,” John Calipari said.
Washington, a freshman guard, went 7 of 14 from the field and 2 of 3 on 3-pointers in a career-high 38 minutes. Sahvir Wheeler had 15 points and seven assists in 39 minutes, Kellan Grady made three 3s for 14 points and Oscar Tshiebwe had 14 rebounds and 12 points.
With the Wildcats missing guard Davion Mintz because of illness and Jacob Toppin and Lance Ware because of injuries, their remaining rotation players had to log heavy minutes.
“Our depth is kind of short right now,” Washington said, “so it’s our priority to make sure we’re in tip-top shape because at any given day, any given time of the game coach Cal can call your number. As long as you’re ready and warm, you’re going to be good.”
Kentucky shot 32 of 59 (54.2%), controlled the boards 48-24 and outscored Albany 36-28 in the paint to offset a season-high 17 turnovers.
“They were playing harder than us and ahead of the action versus us coming at them,” Calipari said. “That aggravated me more than anything.”
De’Vondre Perry scored 18 points and Trey Hutcheson had 12 for the Great Danes (0-5), who shot 34% and made 6 of 13 from the foul line. Albany committed just 10 turnovers while scoring 13 points off Kentucky miscues.
• Kentucky continued its rebounding dominance, 48-24, a plus-24 margin. UK has outrebounded all five opponents and has a plus-20.2 average margin for the season.
• The Wildcats continued their solid performances at the free-throw line, making 77.3% tonight, 17 of 22. UK is now at 83.3% on the campaign
• All five starters scored in double figures, the second time this season that five Wildcats tallied double digits
Reconnecting with Big Blue Nation and Giving Back
One of John Calipari’s main missions this summer was to reconnect his team with the Big Blue Nation.
The COVID-19 pandemic limited the Wildcats’ interactions with fans during the 2020-21 season. Between reduced attendance at Rupp Arena (3,075 fans), no Big Blue Madness and considerable restrictions with various fan activities throughout the season, the 2020- 21 group was deprived of one of the staples of the Kentucky program.
With many of the health and safety protocols scaled back this summer, Calipari made sure to take his team on the road and get in front of the Kentucky fan base.
While touring the state for its annual satellite camp tour, the Wildcats visited local community centers, regional health facilities and spent a morning at Fort Knox. Players and staff continued the touch points into the fall with visits throughout the state for ticket giveaways.
The motivation for Calipari is obviously to give back to the community, but it also benefits his players to see firsthand the role they play in the state.
“I want these players to realize the impact that they have in our state,” Calipari said. “You understand that this is important to our state and it’s about bringing people together, doing things to make a difference for people’s lives, not trying to separate.”
During Thanksgiving, the Wildcats will take advantage of another long-led Calipari tradition by serving Thanksgiving dinner at the Salvation Army in between practice sessions and a Thanksgiving dinner of their own.
