Sahvir Wheeler and the Cats savored Friday's easy win over Robert Morris. (UK Athletics Photo)
By TINA COX, Contributing Writer
It was just like old times Friday night at Rupp Arena.
The crowd of fans trickled in, the key word being fans, not cardboard cutouts in seats. The noise was real, not piped in, and the sound of sneakers squeaking on the floor was undetectable. The cheers erupted during the second half as Davion Mintz, Oscar Tshiebwe and Daimion Collins provided a highlight reel.
The Cats “should” not face a formidable opponent until they travel to South Bend for a meeting with Notre Dame on Dec. 11. The games leading up to that meeting will be a time for adjustments, building confidence, and maturing.
Fans often complain about the cupcake schedule in November. This should be the year that it is realized these games are needed. These are the games that allow the players to grow both personally and as a team. When the SEC schedule begins and the Cats are clicking it should be remembered these are the games that define how far this team will travel.
Takeaways from tonight:
— Oscar Tshiebwe is a beast. He scored his second double-double in two games. He dominated the paint finishing the game with 16 points, 20 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one turnover while playing 29 minutes. Coach John Calipari stated after the game that he would like to see the 3’s held up by fans in Rupp Arena after a made 3-pointer to be replaced by R’s (for rebounds).
— Welcome to Kentucky Damion Collins. Collins looked like a deer in the headlights at Madison Square Garden against Duke but showed in the 100-60 win over Robert Morris what he is capable of doing. Playing only 21 minutes, he still managed 14 points, six rebounds, four blocks, and three assists. His second-half dunk should have been No. 1 on ESPN SportsCenter. He is a star in the making. I still think he needs some country cooking at the lodge to add some weight.
— TyTy Washington looked like the player we had seen in the previous exhibition games. This team is just better when Washington and Wheeler are on the floor together. He scored a quiet 10 points along with three assists.
Kentucky plays again Tuesday night. Should be fun again counting the rebounds and watching the highlights.
2 Responses
GoBigBlue
And a "G" League team that many former UofK players just could he part of would be great in Rupp Arena. Current coach loves stoking the NBA so why not? I can garantee you many fans would buy tickets. And it would also be more affordable than a UofK game plus you could purchase a beer. They league is great believe me I’ve been to some Lakeland Magic games. If you follow the NBA you can see alot of players get sent back to their respective G team for development or opportunity. It’s like MLB minor league system. Also noticed nice attendance but not a sellout. In my day every game was sold out including cupcake games. Schedule IU and that’ll be a sellout with fans trying to sneak in thru the rafters in Rupp 😉