Kentucky’s Keion Brooks was put to the test. ‘He came through for us.’
As expected, Kentucky’s game at Arkansas on Saturday was not for the faint of heart. The good news for UK in winning 73-66 was freshman Keion Brooks showed he could handle the pulsating basketball drama.
Three days after a scoreless 13 minutes at South Carolina, Brooks contributed 10 points and seven rebounds to the victory. It was his first double-digit scoring game since Dec. 14. The rebounds were one shy of the season-high eight he got against Eastern Kentucky.
Brooks capped what looked like a personal breakthrough by making two clinching free throws with 13 seconds left.
“The whole time, I’m telling Keion, ‘You have to grow up today, so I’m not taking you out,’” associate coach Kenny Payne said afterward. “‘I need to know that you can get through this. I need to know that: you’re taking a test; how are you going to do in this test?’
“He passed. So proud of him because he’s had a hard road.”
UK Coach John Calipari has singled out Brooks, fellow freshman Kahlil Whitney and sophomore EJ Montgomery as potential difference-makers this season. Whitney played only 39 seconds. Montgomery fouled out in less than 17 minutes. He had one point and two rebounds.
Of Brooks, Payne said, “The pressure he’s been under to perform is a lot. The game is coming fast. And he stood up and he came through for us. Really big. Big day for him today.”
‘Ultimate faith’
Freshman Johnny Juzang made a three-pointer and finished with two baskets. That was the first time he’d done either since Nov. 29.
“Oh, Johnny puts in the work,” teammate Tyrese Maxey said. “That’s one thing I always say about Johnny. He’s always in the gym.”
Before Saturday, Juzang had made just seven of 31 shots (22.6 percent) and two of 15 three-point shots (13.3 percent). He made two of five shots (one of two from beyond the arc) against Arkansas.
“I have the ultimate faith in Johnny,” Maxey said. “As soon as he shot, I was probably one of the first ones up on the bench. Like, yeah! I’m proud of him.”
UK plays zone?
With fouls mounting and Arkansas eligible to shoot the one-and-one with 15 minutes left, UK went to a zone defense during the late stages of the game. Payne denied that Calipari’s ejection made it easier to play zone. Calipari has a well-known aversion to playing zone.
“I don’t think he’s anti-zone,” Payne said. “Basically, our hands were tied. One of our best players, our leader, Ashton Hagans, has four fouls. Well, how do we keep him in the game? If we stay man, they’re going to drive him and he could get a foul, and he’s out.”
When asked how much UK had practiced zone, Maxey said, “I think we practiced it yesterday for a little bit … because Cal doesn’t really use zone.”
Don’t blame refs
When asked about the 18 fouls called against UK in the second half, Payne did not blame the referees. He attributed the fouls to a “lack of focus a little bit. We teach playing defense showing the refs our hands. There were points in the game when our hands were low. Well, if your hands are low, you’re putting it in the refs’ hands to make a judgment call.”
‘A pro’s pro’
Although UK’s hottest shooter, Immanuel Quickley, made only three of 14 shots, he contributed a career-high 10 rebounds and scored 13 points.
“Immanuel Quickley is a pro’s pro,” Maxey said. “He sticks with his trade. His shots are not falling, you got to do something to stay on the court. He played really good defense on No. 1 (Isaiah Joe) and got every single rebound that came off. So proud of him.”
Credit for sellout
Arkansas gave its students permission to line up at Bud Walton Arena before dawn. Athletics Director Hunter Yurachek and Coach Eric Musselman brought breakfast foods to those lined up.
ESPN commentator Dick Vitale linked the game being a sellout to Kentucky fans and the BBN. This sparked tweets of disagreement from Arkansas fans.
Yurachek tagged Vitale with this tweet: “Sold-out like every Saturday game this season because Razorback fans are the best. Not because UK is in town.”
As if to emphasize this point, the public address announcer told the crowd 30 minutes before tip-off that every Saturday home game is a sellout. Not just this game, he added.
Crashing the party
Before the game, Arkansas fans tried to rock UK’s team bus. During the game, the fans made for an electric atmosphere.
“It motivates us,” Nick Richards said. “Cal always talks about let’s ruin their weekend.”
This story was originally published January 18, 2020 at 9:33 PM.
