UK’s Opening Win in Bahamas Reminder to “Turn the Page” from Last Season’s Ending

Photo by UK Athletics

While 1,200 made the trip to Nassau for Kentucky basketball’s preseason exhibition tour, most – if not all – of Big Blue Nation watched or listened to their team in action for the first time since the Wildcats bowed out to St. Peter’s in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament. It’s now been 146 days since the historic upset loss. If you weren’t ready to turn the page after National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe announced his return for another year at UK or Kentucky head coach John Calipari dominated the recruiting trail this summer, maybe now you will be.

Kentucky’s first exhibition game with the Dominican Republic National Select Team on Wednesday was a complete blowout, as the Wildcats ran away with it 108-56. While that was almost a given considering how talented and deep Kentucky’s roster is, that wasn’t the case the last time Kentucky stepped on the court. However, the Wildcats clicked on all cylinders for all 40 minutes. With Calipari watching from the stands, assistant coach Orlando Antigua took the reigns and showed just how deep Kentucky can go at every position.

We’ve seen CJ Fredrick knock down 63 threes in just five minutes and Jacob Toppin even spray during practice. However, it was a nice surprise to have all four of Kentucky’s latest additions hit threes in their first minutes as Wildcats. Adou Thiero and Cason Wallace each had one while Chris Livingston made three and Antonio Reeves made four. Brennan Canada had the team’s other two makes in less than five minutes of action.

While Kentucky’s guards showed they could shoot the rock, the front court showed us once again how tall and deep they are. Calipari and Antigua rolled out a starting five of Toppin, Tshiebwe and Daimion Collins with Lance Ware coming off the bench as the cherry on top. In addition to athleticism, size and versatility, each member of Kentucky’s front court now has veteran experience.

The Wildcats have 10 players that could start on any given night, which could wind up being a major benefit if the team is hobbled by injuries at all during the season. In fact, starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler was already in a knee brace on Wednesday but The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker tweeted he was told “he’s fine.” Depth is a benefit Kentucky didn’t have last year and ultimately led to their season’s early ending.

It’s time to turn the page. It’s time to get your hopes up for this year. It’s time to get excited about what you’re seeing from Kentucky this week. That’s what the preseason exhibition tour is all about.

Sure, Kentucky will have their share of growing pains and moments where their chemistry needs a bit more time to gel. Every team does. However, these Wildcats are deep and talented with a chip on their shoulder. They have the ideal mix of talented newcomers and returning players – led by the reigning National Player of the Year – to make up a legitimate, title contending roster. It’s going to be a fun season for Big Blue Nation.