Kentucky basketball’s Ugonna Onyenso spoke his Rupp Arena blocks record into existence
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Game day: No. 22 Kentucky 75, Mississippi 63
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Tuesday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Mississippi in Rupp Arena.
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Less than one month ago, Ugonna Onyenso spoke what is now his Rupp Arena record into existence.
Following a home win over Mississippi State on Jan. 17, Onyenso — UK’s second-year, 7-foot center — proclaimed on UK’s postgame radio show that he would tally double-digit blocks in a game.
It was quite a block proclamation for a man who had four rejections (in only 17 minutes) against the Bulldogs that night, and who only made his season debut in December after a summer foot injury derailed his preseason preparation.
“For me, blocking shots, it feels different for me,” Onyenso said that night. “… I want to get to double-digit blocked shots. I want double digits.”
That personal goal became reality on Tuesday night.
Kentucky’s get-right 75-63 home win over Ole Miss was highlighted by a special defensive performance from Onyenso, who had 10 blocks, and seven in the first half alone.
“I’m really glad that I said something, and I fulfilled the promise I made to my coaches and other people,” a joyful and joking Onyenso said afterward.
Onyenso’s 10 rejections — which came along with eight points and three rebounds in 24 minutes — set a Rupp Arena record for blocks by a Kentucky player. It matched the overall Rupp Arena mark for blocks by any player as well, tying the 10 blocks recorded by the legendary David Robinson of Navy in January 1987.
The sophomore’s total of 10 blocks surpassed the previous Rupp record of nine by a Kentucky player, amassed on three occasions by Sam Bowie (1981), Andre Riddick (1993) and Willie Cauley-Stein (2013).
It was also the most blocks in a game by a Kentucky player since Nerlens Noel set the program record with 12 rejections in January 2013, also against Ole Miss (but in a game played in Oxford, Mississippi).
Onyenso said he told UK coaches before the game that he would get eight blocks.
“It’s amazing. it’s just the pride that I take in blocking shots,” he said. “I’m happy that I did that. Hopefully I’m going to break it again. … Without that team chemistry that we’re bringing defensively, all this wouldn’t (have) happened today.”
Onyenso’s individual success came as part of an impressive team defensive performance by the Wildcats.
A porous defense contributed significantly to a three-game home losing streak that was snapped Tuesday, and it also occupies the forefront of any discussion about why UK’s NCAA Tournament ceiling appears to be lower now than at any other point of the season.
But UK rose to the occasion against an Ole Miss team known for its scoring exploits.
UK allowed just 0.863 points per possession and also contained Ole Miss — one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation — from behind the arc: Ole Miss went just 5-for-22 (22.7%) on 3-pointers.
UK head coach John Calipari attributed this defensive success to pressing Ole Miss and limiting offensive rebounds (Ole Miss still had 12 of those).
Getting rejected 12 times over the course of a 40-minute basketball game is never the game plan. Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said as much afterward.
“We understood the talent at the rim, we understood the collapsing defense. We would’ve much preferred to play off of two feet, we had some good inside-out possessions, but just not enough of them,” Beard said, noting that it felt like Ole Miss was blocked 100 times in the game.
While Kentucky only had 14 fast-break points in Tuesday’s win (an equal amount to Ole Miss), Beard also hit on a common theme that opposing coaches have discussed this season when it comes to blocked shots or turnovers leading directly into Kentucky’s high-tempo offense.
“It’s almost, put it in the books: If Kentucky blocks a shot or gets a steal, they’re just very explosive coming down the floor with great spacing,” Beard said.
Calipari has promoted defensive connectivity, intensity and physicality as the focus areas of this Kentucky season with seven regular-season games to go.
“The issue is, will we be physical enough?” Calipari said when asked to expand on his radio show comments from Monday, in which he said Kentucky was “built for March.”
“Shot blocking will also make a difference and it does make a difference defensively,” Calipari added.
Onyenso’s record-setting showing was evidence of both of these elements.
“Hopefully, this is going to be a breakthrough for us defensively,” added Onyenso, who also briefly campaigned to media members that he actually had 11 blocks but only got credit for 10.
“Because we’ve got all we need offensively. We’re right there offensively, but we’ve just got to stay locked in defensively. And hopefully, this game is going to be a turning point for us.”
Blocks are a rare strength for Kentucky basketball’s defense
For all of Kentucky’s defensive warts this season — and there are plenty to be sure — blocking shots has been a significant strength for UK.
Entering Tuesday’s game, Kentucky ranked second in the country in block percentage, per KenPom. The Wildcats had a block percentage of 16%, which trailed only Houston (17.5%) nationally.
Additionally, UK is fourth in the nation in blocks per game with 6.375, behind only Bryant (6.4), Arkansas (6.5) and Appalachian State (7.3). The Wildcats had 12 blocks as a team Tuesday, with freshman center Aaron Bradshaw picking up two rejections in addition to Onyenso’s 10.
Individually, Onyenso’s outing rocketed him further up the national rankings of rim protectors. He now has 48 blocks for the season in just 15 games played. That puts Onyenso among the top 40 players in the country for total blocks.
“I’m not surprised that I did it,” Onyenso said of setting the record. “But at the same time, I’m happy that I’m helping the team with what I know how to do best. … I’m not going to talk about myself. I’m going to talk about (us) as a team, because without that, none of this is going to happen.”
Onyenso hasn’t played enough games to be placed on the NCAA’s list for blocks per game. His current rate of 3.2 blocks per contest would be fourth nationally.
The national leader in blocks and blocks per game also plays his college basketball in the commonwealth: Eastern Kentucky’s Isaiah Cozart has 89 blocks at a rate of 3.87 per game for the Colonels, who lead the ASUN Conference standings by a game. Cozart is EKU’s all-time program leader in blocks.
While it’s clear Kentucky doesn’t have the acumen or schemes to be an elite defensive team, the Wildcats certainly have the ability to block shots between Onyenso, Bradshaw and freshman center Zvonimir Ivisic.
And Calipari hinted postgame that this can be a guiding principle for the way Kentucky will defend going forward.
“We’ve got shot-blockers,” Calipari said, before relaying what the defensive instructions are to Kentucky’s perimeter players.
“Don’t give them a jumper: Make them beat you on the bounce, because we’ve got people back in there.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 1:36 AM.
