Vicky Graff Photo
Kentucky had four players combine for 81 of its points in Saturday’s 85-81 win over host Tennessee Saturday but it might have been a player who didn’t score who had as much to do with the win as anyone.
“Ugo was unbelievable. The way he defended and blocked shots is who he has to be,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said.
Ugonna Onyenso played 29 minutes and did not take a shot from the field or at the foul line. However, he had four blocked shots, grabbed six rebounds, and made one steal.
“I have seen a number of (Kentucky) games and this is as good as he has been,” CBS-TV analyst Bill Raftery said.
Freshman Reed Sheppard scored 27 points for Kentucky, including 22 in the second half, thought Onyenso set the tone for UK in the first few minutes with his physical play.
“That was huge for him to stand in there and be physical and block shots and contest everything. When you get blocked by a 7-footer the next play you are not going to try again. That was huge for him and us,” Sheppard said.
UK Radio Network analyst Jack Givens said on the postgame show that when he was at practice he kept hearing Calipari talking about the game being a “rock fight” that Kentucky had to win.
“I think the defense took some big steps. They really played well in this game but when you talk about delivering messages and how Kentucky had to play this game in the pain where it gets nasty, Ugonna set the tempo,” Givens said. “When you have a guy laying it out like he was, everybody else must come along or you will stand out to the coaches.”
Givens said the statistics didn’t indicate what impact Onyenso had on the game.
“They don’t keep a running chart of how many times guys look over their shoulders for him (Onyenso) and pass up a shot to throw the ball out,” Givens said. “He doesn’t get any credit for that but it must have happened six or seven times when their guards penetrated.”
22 Responses
Is this team built for March????? You tell me?
W e didn’t plan it but we are heading to Nashville!
Ugo has become a force inside. Really happy for him. He was as important as anyone tonight. Sheppard 27, Reeves 27, Edward’s 16, And Dillingham 11. Incredible, four guys total 81 pts. RAH! RAH! RAH! Go Cal’s Cats!!@
Easy on the Cal-Aid Jimmy. Who in the world would have thought we would be able to go into K-ville and beat the #4 team in the country with 16 turns and 0 point production from the 5? We did show that we might be D capable if and when we want to be. We were carried by a stiffer D in the middle, usual production from the R and S gang and a valuable assist from Edwards and Ony at the rim. Dilly was almost a liability and Thiero, Wagner, Mitchell, and Z were not productive offensively. Very disappointed in Z because I thought he could be a key to the W, and it was disappointing that he apparently did not have the "want to" while possessing that height and offensive skill. I can only imagine what we are capable of doing if we get most of the team plugged in moving forward.
I thought the Cats could win the game. Cats79 predicted it. UKFMLY had faith. You and your Crybaby Cronies have been dogging the Cats all year. There’s a couple more that haven’t shown up lately. It’s too late to try and save face now! Looks like the only "FRAUD" that has been committed is by the Whining, Crybaby, Fake, Pretend, fans!!!!!!!
Well said 👏👏👏
Reading your comment if someone wasn’t able to watch or listen to the game one would think they got the crap best out of them and that they didn’t even compete. Oh well haters gonna hate hope you have a great day. GO CATS!!!
We have 10 players that could play minutes on any top 20 team. Not everyone can have a career night at the No 4 team in the country. A win is a win no matter how you do it on the road . Who knows who will go off next game? That’s why other teams worry about playing us. D is light years ahead of just a month ago. Peaking at the right time!
Listen to Jimmy Jimmy SQUEAL! This was a great win, but it means nothing in the overall picture, other than getting a double bye. We didn’t win the season championship. Can we win the SEC tourney…maybe. We have to keep moving the ball, we have to keep hitting the 3 at a high clip, we have to rebound on both ends, we have to play defense for 40 minutes, we have to hit free throws and limit turnovers. Have we done this every game…NO. Will we do it the rest of the way? Everybody but the Calipari azzkissers know better than that. How far will this team go? We will have to be A&M most likely and probably Florida to get to the SEC title game. We played these teams 3 times and lost twice…once in Rupp. I think Auburn will come through on the other side looking for some payback. Can we win those 3 games in 3 days? As much as I would love for that to happen, I just don’t see it. So there is loss number 9. As for the Dance, who the hell knows? The Calipari azzkissers are already claiming that we have Title No. 9 in the bag. I don’t have to tell you what happens when we get beat…the azzkissers disappear faster than a snowflake in July, with the exception of 79. We had to put Jimmy Jimmy’s face on milk cartons after the LSU loss. The azzkissers claim that us Calipari haters hurt the team because they read these comments. Some might say these comments finally struck a nerve with this team and got them to focus on winning like Kentucky teams do most of the time. As for me, I see loss No. 10 coming the first weekend of the Dance. When this happens, the FRAUD will resign in shame before the end of April. SQUEAL about that Calipari lovers! And boy, will they ever!!!
I think you might need a hug. Everything will be okay 🫂 lol
If we don’t make it to the 2nd weekend of the tournament, Cal will resign.
Dream On!!!
You dream too much Barry. Everything you said recently has not come to a fruitation that you wanted Wake up
You’re still Whining like a 2 year old that got their bottle taken away Barry. You’re predicting doom and gloom just like you always do. You’re NO KENTUCKY FAN!!!!!!!. I hope Calipari stays for the rest of your life. It makes me very happy to see you so miserable. RAH! RAH! RAH! GO CALIPARI’S CATS!!!!! Not little, whiney, barry’s cats.
Six games ago the whiners said we had no shot at the double bye. Today all they do is cry, cry cry!!!!
All of you Calipari lovers go ahead and crow. We will see how loud you are next Sunday.
No matter what Baby Barry, we won’t be whiney, crybaby, sniffling, snots. 😫🍼 Go Cal’s Cats!!!
While I’m no Calipari lover, he did get these players here and I love this team. If they keep playing like this and improving defensively, the sky is the limit.
Well said JC. My feelings exactly the same. I am a little critical at times but just want these guys to play there best all time while also reasoning that probably not going to happen. We do need more than the 3-4 that showed yesterday though. We are good enuf to beat anybody at any time but capable of losing to anybody at any defense.
A little critical? You should read your past comments. Once a whiner, always a whiner.
What the detractors are saying about the Cats can be said about any team. That’s any team playing. Everyone has been upset this season except the South Carolina womens team. These Cats are different thann most because we have 4 or 5 guys that can drop 27 on anyone. 16 turnovers with 21 points scored on them and we still win! Will the win it all who know. Us vs 67 other teams are long odds. Same as for everyone else. I’m not positive but I don’t think a single number one seeed made it to the final 4 last year. So we have a chance.
I love this team and I like our chances. In recent years we counted on one guy to carry us. If he was off (last year Antonio Reeves) we lose. We still need Antonio (big time) but we can survive an off night because we have more than one go to guy!
Can’t wait for it all to start! CO CATS ! ! !
All this team needs to do is play a little bit of defense, just a little! We are built for March. No one has guard play like we do! I corrected Cal when he said that you just can’t outscore your opponent…..yes you can, as long as you get a stop or two late in the game…..Go Cats!!