Kellan Grady joins Tubby Smith in a celebratory day at Rupp Arena
In more ways than one, Friday was a celebration day at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky’s 92-48 victory over High Point served as a setting to celebrate Tubby Smith’s past as the Cats’ head coach. A jersey bearing his name was unveiled in the rafters.
The game was also a way to celebrate Kellan Grady’s present. The transfer shooter from Davidson matched his season high of 23 points.
Grady did a convincing impersonation of his basketball idol, Steph Curry, in making seven three-point shots, which equaled a career high. He made seven for Davidson against Southern Virginia last season. An air of anticipation could be heard as he prepared to shoot, then the swishes inspired ever-louder cheers.
Freshman TyTy Washington was credited with a career-high nine assists while scoring 15 points.
Before the game, UK honored Smith, who said it was the first time he had been in Rupp Arena since leaving UK for Minnesota in 2007.
The crowd stood and applauded as Smith made his first entrance onto the court with about 16 minutes showing on the clock ticking down to the start of the game. He waved as the volume of cheers increased. Then, he shook hands with those working at the scorer’s table.
His wife, Donna, sons G.G. and Brian and other family members accompanied Smith to center court.
The jersey bearing the name Smith and his years as UK coach (1998-2007) was revealed in the corner of Rupp Arena near sections 234 and 233.
“What a tremendous honor,” Smith told the crowd. “Something my family and I will cherish forever.”
UK’s current coach, John Calipari, then appeared on a video.
Smith’s coaching achievements for UK were “nothing short of amazing,” Calipari said.
While acknowledging that Smith’s record was not “enough for some, he needed to know what people here thought of him.”
Donna Smith punctuated the game’s sentimental value by being the “Y” at half court in the K-E-N-T-U-C-K-Y cheer at the first television timeout of the second half.
As for the game, Kentucky never trailed. UK scored the last 11 points of the first half to take a 43-25 lead into intermission. That marked UK’s second biggest halftime lead of the season, exceeded only by the 51-25 advantage over Central Michigan.
Kentucky never trailed. After leading 26-22 going into the final six minutes of the half, UK went on a 17-3 run.
Six UK players scored in the breakout.
UK controlled the half despite Sahvir Wheeler’s struggles. The team’s point guard pillar had three turnovers barely six minutes into the game. That led to a seat on the bench.
Later, Wheeler drove all the way to the rim. But this time the opponent was waiting for him. His shot was not only blocked, but engulfed in “block-i-ness.”
A strong finish allowed Wheeler to have a four-to-four assist-to-turnover ratio. His bounce pass on the fast break netted an and-one three-point play for Bryce Hopkins. That came early in the final 17-3 breakout.
Later, Wheeler drove and then dished to Oscar Tshiebwe for a dunk.
High Point had its own problem with a standout player struggling. Leading scorer John-Michael Wright made only two of 10 shots in scoring five points in the first half.
That followed his four-for-13 shooting in the Panthers’ loss at Michigan State on Wednesday. The 81-68 loss left Smith thinking what-if.
“If my best player had made shots ...,” the High Point coach said. “They put length on him, and they dogged him. His worst game of the year.”
Wright is the only player named to last season’s all-Big South Conference team back this season. He took 36.7 percent of High Point’s shots last season, He had taken 27.8 percent of the Panthers’ shots (213 of 767) going into Friday’s game.
Recent history suggested a High Point rally was unlikely. The Panthers actually led at halftime against Notre Dame and Michigan State only to lose by nine and 13 points, respectively.
Kentucky settled matters early in the second half. A 14-0 run put UK ahead 61-34 with less than 14 minutes left. Grady contributed three three-pointers to the run.
As if to cap a happy New Year’s Eve, the crowd cheered High Point’s Alex Holt missed two free throws with 9:44 left. Given UK’s promotion, that meant free chicken sandwiches for those in attendance.
NET
Kentucky came into the game at No. 21 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings. High Point was No. 267.
UK’s 10-2 record got a boost from a 7-0 record in Quad 4 games (the least significant in the NET rankings).
Kentucky was not the only team with a top-25 NET ranking that had played seven or more Quad 4 games.
No. 4 Gonzaga had a 7-0 record in Quad 4 games. No. 8 Duke was 8-0 in such games. No. 14 Texas was 9-0.
Next game
No. 18 Kentucky at No. 16 LSU
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
TV: ESPN
This story was originally published December 31, 2021 at 1:53 PM.
