VMI guard was ‘looking like Curry,’ but Kentucky’s size prevails
You could say Kentucky improved to 3-1 in a “bigs” way.
What played out in Rupp Arena Sunday night was a memorable example of the tortoise and the hare in the form of perimeter shooting competing against paint power.
Kentucky beat VMI 92-82 thanks to an overwhelming advantage in size which translated into dominance around the basket.
While methodical pounding paved the way to a Kentucky victory, VMI’s perimeter shooting blazed what surely will be a long-lasting place in the collective mindset of the Big Blue Nation.
Bubba Parham, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, made 10 three-point shots for VMI. That was one short of a Rupp Arena record for a visiting player. In John Calipari’s third game as UK coach, Corey Allmond made 11 for Sam Houston State on Nov. 19, 2009.
Jodie Meeks, Tony Delk and Eric Bledsoe share the Rupp record for threes in a game by a Kentucky player with nine each.
When told of his place in Rupp Arena’s record book, Parham said, “Wow, that’s crazy. I’m blessed.”
Parham’s sharp-shooting, which totaled 35 points and included making a three from the top of the key while falling down, drew a mix of awe and fear from UK fans. In VMI’s first four games, he made nine of 26 shots from beyond the three-point line.
“He was looking like (Steph) Curry out there tonight,” Immanuel Quickley said of Parham. “That’s what I can say.”
PJ Washington, whose career-high 18 rebounds were part of Kentucky’s inside dominance, saluted Parham.
“It felt like he was just throwing them up and they were falling,” Washington said. “We tried everything to guard him. He just played a helluva game.”
Parham, who came into Rupp Arena as VMI’s leading scorer, was not a surprise.
“We knew he could shoot,” Washington said before adding, “We didn’t know he was like that.”
Overall, VMI made 19 three-pointers, which was the more than any opponent has ever made against Kentucky. The previous record was the 18 made by the aforementioned Sam Houston State. The Rupp Arena record is the 20 Kentucky made against LSU on March 4, 1995.
VMI, which was picked to finished seventh in the Southern Conference by Lindy’s and last by Blue Ribbon, gave the game abundant entertainment.
But to borrow a term from UK Coach John Calipari, Kentucky’s size was the separator, although not by a lot. UK outrebounded VMI 43-22 and enjoyed a 42-14 advantage in points from the paint.
Reid Travis led UK with 22 points. Washington, who scored 19 points, said, “We knew we had an advantage inside. We felt we were a lot better than them inside.”
When asked if he felt helpless on the VMI bench, Coach Dan Earl said, “It’s tough because they do have such a size advantage, and they used it. They were smart.”
Facing an opponent that started only one player taller than 6-foot-5, Kentucky all but couldn’t avoid using its size to take a 48-34 halftime lead.
That’s what happened in a first half that saw UK outrebound VMI 27-11 and outscore the Keydets 24-4 in the paint. The size also contributed to UK enjoying an 18-3 advantage in free throws attempted.
A mild surprise, perhaps, involved freshman EJ Montgomery making his first start. That decision came after Calipari and assistant Tony Barbee both said he needed more playing time.
But two fouls within a 34-second span sent him to the bench mid-way through the half. So he missed out on a lot of the fun. UK’s four “bigs” accounted for 31 first-half points.
Travis, who came off the bench for the first time this season, scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds. PJ Washington came within a rebound of a double-double in the first half (11 points and nine rebounds). Nick Richards scored six points in six minutes.
Montgomery made up for in flair what he lacked in quantity of contribution. He took a pass in transition and ran to a fast-break dunk with 15.5 seconds left. That set the halftime score.
A momentary pause to UK’s size advantage came with two minutes left in the first half. What looked like an inadvertent poke in the eye-and-nose area sent Travis to the court. He laid there for a minute or two. The crowd applauded when Travis sat up, then again when he stood up and walked to the bench.
Travis wore protective glasses in the second half.
VMI stayed close for a while with three-point shooting. In their first four games, about 43 percent of the Keydets’ shots came from three-point range. VMI made six of its first nine shots from behind the line. Parham, VMI’s leading scorer, (18.0 ppg), made three of his first four attempts and finished the half with 15 points.
But Parham cooled as the half unfolded while UK’s size never waned. A 12-0 run late in the half had the appearance of an inevitable mismatch around the basket.
As if a signal that nothing would change in the second half, Keldon Johnson’s put-back gave Kentucky a score on the first possession.
Later in the half, Travis posted for a score. Two possessions later, Washington passed out of the post to an open Quade Green, who made a three-point shot.
Parham got hot again in the second half. His ninth three-pointer brought VMI within 76-68. The Keydets got as close as 85-79 with less than two minutes left. After a timeout, Quade Green hit a three to ease the growing anxiety.
“We kept our composure,” Washington said. “We kept doing what we were doing: going inside and getting easy baskets. And that’s why we won the game.”
Next game
Winthrop at No. 10 Kentucky
1 p.m. Wednesday (SEC Network)