Kentucky basketball observations from the Wildcats’ Blue-White scrimmage
The Kentucky basketball Blue-White Game hit the road Saturday night, with Truist Arena on Northern Kentucky University’s campus the setting for the annual scrimmage.
The Blue team, which primarily featured UK players expected to come off the bench this season, defeated the starter-heavy White squad 100-89. The final 10 minutes of the game were played with a running clock, and there were no substitutions until 3:24 remaining in the second half.
Here are three observations from the Blue-White Game:
Dillingham was cooking
Freshman guard Rob Dillingham struggled mightily during the Wildcats’ trip to Canada for the GLOBL JAM exhibition tournament over the summer.
There was none of that Saturday night.
Dillingham scored early, often and from all over the court to lead the Blue team to a commanding lead right out of the gate. Running the point for the Blues, the 6-foot-2 guard dictated the pace on offense, running things smoothly in the halfcourt while also looking to get on the break at every opportunity.
During one early sequence, he pulled off a backwards pass between his legs to teammate Adou Thiero, who then hit Jordan Burks with a touch pass for an easy layup in transition. Shortly after that, he hit a jumper and pulled off a pair of strong drives to the basket, finishing at the rim each time. Dillingham capped that flurry with a corner 3-pointer, drew a foul on D.J. Wagner on that shot and then hit the free throw.
By halftime, he had 24 points. No one else on the court scored more than 13 in the first half. He started the second half with a steal and emphatic dunk on the other end, and it was more of the same from there.
Dillingham finished with 40 points, seven assists and five rebounds. He was 14-for-23 from the field, 3 of 7 from 3-point range, and 9 of 12 on free throws.
Dillingham earned the reputation as one of the best perimeter scorers in his 2023 class as a high schooler, but Kentucky fans didn’t see much of that while tuning in for the GLOBL JAM games. Anyone who watched Saturday night saw what he’s capable of, and he was able to do it against a White squad that featured four expected starters: Wagner, Antonio Reeves, Justin Edwards and Tre Mitchell (along with veteran walk-on Brennan Canada).
Some of the flash that Dillingham showed off Saturday will no doubt drive John Calipari bonkers if the 18-year-old breaks out similar moves in actual games. (You attempt a between-the-legs pass in transition, your team better score.) But there was a lot to like regarding Dillingham’s aggressiveness and his confidence with the ball in his hands. He also showed hustle on the defensive end, filling passing lanes and getting some deflections.
Wagner isn’t going to be able to play 40 minutes at the point guard spot this season. Dillingham, who was the better player Saturday night, certainly has the skill set to bring a different look for a few minutes per game. And he should be on the court plenty, in general, giving Calipari that multiple-point-guard lineup that he likes so much.
Kentucky ball movement
Calipari has made it clear that he likes the overall skill set and collective instincts of this team. They can pretty much all dribble, pass and shoot. Perhaps you’ve heard him say that once or 20 times over the past few months.
The Hall of Fame coach also wants this team to keep the ball moving, and these Cats did exactly that Saturday night.
The past couple of seasons, in particular, have been frustrating to watch at times. Kentucky would often settle into its halfcourt offense, and — settle being the operative word — not much would happen from there. Lots of dribbling and just as much indecision led to bad looks at the end of the shot clock.
Calipari didn’t really want that in the past, and he especially doesn’t want it this season. He knows he has a roster built to play differently, and — with new assistant coach John Welch helping things along on offense — expect the Wildcats to do it.
It was all there in plain sight Saturday night.
The ball moved quickly around the perimeter. Rarely did anyone take more than a dribble or two in one spot before getting rid of it or taking it to the rim. Calipari wants these guys to catch the ball ready to shoot, pass or go. The spacing on offense should be a lot better than recent seasons past as a result. And with so many playmakers on the court at once, transition opportunities should be more plentiful.
All of that happened in the Blue-White Game, especially the fast-break opportunities, which came within the natural flow of the action and not due to the scrimmage devolving into an all-star game with no defense. UK’s players simply looked for opportunities to get on the break, and they took advantage when those chances came, especially the Blue squad that featured Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and Adou Thiero — three guys who often played the point in high school.
Having players like that playing considerable minutes off the ball this season should make Kentucky’s offense a more entertaining watch than it was last season. All three of those players can also put it on the deck in the halfcourt offense and get to the basket. Wagner, Reeves and Edwards obviously can, too.
UK will almost certainly be forced to play a smaller lineup to start the season. That’ll bring its own shortcomings, but the potential for excitement won’t be lacking.
Where’s Big Z?
John Calipari made it clear at Big Blue Madness last week that the Blue-White Game would mark the on-court debut of Zvonimir Ivisic.
“If you wanna be one of the first to watch Big Z play, we’re playing at Northern Kentucky …,” Calipari said that night. “They got about a thousand tickets left. The rest have been sold. But if you want to see him in person, come on up there.”
If anyone bought tickets based on that statement, they were in for a surprise.
Calipari announced Saturday afternoon on X that Ivisic would not play in the Blue-White Game, after all.
“Since he has only practiced for three days and still is in his ramp-up period, he will be held out as a precaution,” the UK coach said.
That’s not a great sign for Ivisic’s readiness to have a sizable impact on the beginning of Kentucky’s season, which tips off Nov. 6 against New Mexico State in Rupp Arena. It also wasn’t a great look for Calipari, who had to have known what kind of preparation the 7-foot-2 recruit would be able to go through between Madness last Friday night and the UK scrimmage eight days later.
A UK spokesperson told the Herald-Leader on Saturday afternoon that Ivisic’s absence from the scrimmage was not related to any eligibility or injury issues. He is still going through the NCAA clearinghouse process to be declared an amateur student-athlete, but he is allowed to practice with the team in the meantime and would have been permitted to play in the Blue-White Game.
Ivisic put up shots with UK assistant Orlando Antigua before the scrimmage Saturday night. Calipari said after the game that Ivisic went “hard” in all three practices and was cramping all over his body as a result. He added that Ivisic still wanted to play, but the UK coach held him out.
“We could have him for here, and then I’d be a man of my word,” Calipari said. “Or we could worry about the season. And I’m worried about the season. So I want to give him some time.”
Calipari had already tried to temper the outsized expectations around Ivisic at SEC media day Wednesday. He noted that Ivisic’s first full-contact practice would be that night.
“So if you think he’s ready to walk in, dominate a game, you’re not thinking right,” Calipari said. “He’s not.”
Dominating a college game is one thing. Participating in a no-stakes, loosely run intrasquad scrimmage is something else entirely. So the fact that Calipari wasn’t prepared to trot Ivisic out under those circumstances — a week after declaring that he would play — is an indication that Kentucky shouldn’t count on much from the Croatian prospect in the short term.
With Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso out — and no confirmation of a firm return date for either player — it means UK’s situation in the frontcourt remains very much unsettled.
This story was originally published October 21, 2023 at 7:49 PM.
