Kentucky basketball is back, folks.
The Kentucky Wildcats opened the inaugural SEC/ACC Challenge when they hosted the Miami Hurricanes tonight in a battle of top 15 teams. In what was initially a back-and-forth affair, the Cats finally prevailed against the Hurricanes 95:73.
The first half was about as exciting as anyone could have hoped. There was some strong offense and much improved defense on both sides. As the Cats and Hurricanes traded shots and went back and forth, it was the play of Reed Sheppard and Justin Edwards that ultimately helped Kentucky take a 42-37 halftime lead.
In the second half, Kentucky flexed its muscles. With a crazy, consistent offense and a much-improved defense, the Cats were unstoppable. Under the leadership of Sheppard and Antonio Reeves, John Calipari’s team improved by 40 points at the start of the season.
If you haven’t believed it yet, hope you believe it now. This team is good. Really good.
Now Kentucky’s attention will turn to a matchup with UNC-Wilmington on Saturday night.
Let’s move on. Come on, cats!
Box score
Highlights
Game MVP
Tonight that choice was pretty easy. Reed Sheppard.
The star freshman finished the night with 21 points on 8/13 shooting and 5/8 on three shots. He also added five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in 30 minutes of playing time. Sheppard also had the highest plus-minus ratio of any team member on the night at +35.
The trend has been going this way for a few weeks now, but tonight could be the icing on the cake. Sheppard is real. Paired with Rob Dillingham in the second unit, this Kentucky backfielder has depth and talent.
And once again, Sheppard is the star of the show.
Enjoy it while you can, BBN. He could be in the NBA next season.
Twitter reactions
“Like” our Facebook page and Follow us on Twitter Find more UK news and views here. Come on, cats!
Read more