UK Basketball
The University of Kentucky men's basketball team has not gotten off to the start that many fans have wanted. The Wildcats have started their season with a record of 7-2 with wins coming against Michigan, Howard, Duquesne, South Carolina State, Yale, North Florida, and Bellarmine. They have had a couple tough losses to the very solid Michigan State and Gonzaga. The Wildcats roster features the Naismith National College Player of the Year, Oscar Tshiebwe. Tshiebwe is coming off a season in which he averaged 17.4 points and 15.1 rebounds. Another key member of this Wildcat’s team is the Illinois State transfer, Antionio Reeves. Reeves was a particularly good scorer for the Redbirds last year, and he is looking to show his ability to score at the Power 5 level this year.
Senior Forward Jacob Toppin has been given more minutes as of late starting the season with averages of 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds a game. The Wildcats are also receiving key contributions from Cason Wallace, CJ Fredrick, Sahvir Wheeler, Chris Livingston, and Ugonna Onyenso.
Even though Kentucky has had some early season troubles against some good teams, I do not think that Wildcat fans should lose hope on the season. As the players continue to mesh, I believe that the team will continue to get better as the year goes on. As the first-year players Cason Wallace, Chris Livingston and Ugonna Onyenso continue to gain experience, they will continue to find ways to impact the game in their own ways.
Having a veteran leader in Tshiebwe to lead this Wildcats team will be very beneficial for the young Wildcats as the season goes on. When asked about what he thought the Wildcats could improve on going forward, senior Trace Johnson said, “We need to work on taking more efficient shots.” Once the players begin to play as a team instead of a bunch of individuals the sky is the limit for this team.
Fans have a lot to look forward to as the young players of this team continue to improve from game to game. This could be a special year for the Wildcats, and you won’t want to miss it.
