Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 86-61 win over Albany
Five things you need to know from the Kentucky Wildcats’ 86-61 win over the Albany Great Danes at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center:
1. Kentucky’s guards are good. After a rugged 3-of-14 shooting performance in his college debut vs. Duke, UK freshman TyTy Washington has played like the burgeoning star his recruiting profile suggests he should be.
The 6-foot-3, 197-pound Phoenix product rifled in a team-high 20 points Monday night and also added six rebounds and three assists.
In the four games since the Champions Classic vs. Duke, Washington has made 27 of 51 shots.
Meanwhile, Georgia transfer Sahvir Wheeler continues to give UK a beat-you-off-the-dribble threat. Against overmatched Albany, the 5-9, 180-pound junior went for 15 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
On the debit side, Wheeler’s five turnovers are more than the Kentucky coaching staff would prefer.
Meanwhile, after a scoreless performance in Kentucky’s 77-58 win over Ohio on Friday night and a flat first half vs. Albany, Davidson transfer Kellan Grady got untracked in half two Monday night.
The 6-5, 205-pound Boston product scored 11 of his 14 points after halftime. For the game, he hit three of five three-pointers.
Guard play remains the primary reason for optimism about the 2021-22 Wildcats.
2. Foul trouble is cramping Oscar Tshiebwe’s style. For the second straight game, UK’s rebounding force was curtailed by personal fouls.
After going to the bench with two fouls only 1:06 into the game vs. Ohio on Friday, Tshiebwe made it to the 4:48 mark of the first half Monday night before drawing foul two.
But in the second half, the 6-9, 255-pound transfer from West Virginia drew his third foul defending a shot at 18:45 and his fourth with 13:43 left when called for going over the back on an offensive rebound attempt.
Limited to 23 minutes of playing time by the fouls, Tshiebwe still produced 12 points and 14 rebounds.
But after averaging 18.7 rebounds in the first three games, the foul trouble has limited him to an average of 12 boards a game in the past two contests.
3. Injuries clear time for Allen. Super-senior guard Davion Mintz missed Monday’s game due to illness. Front-court players Jacob Toppin and Lance Ware continue to be sidelined by injuries.
That cleared some playing time vs. Albany for former Pendleton County star Dontaie Allen.
The 6-7, 205-pound redshirt sophomore had some good moments.
On a defensive rotation, he doubled-down on the post and forced a turnover.
In another instance, Allen claimed a defensive rebound and hit Sahvir Wheeler in stride with an outlet pass that led to a layup.
However, Allen’s calling card — his outside shot — was off Monday night.
He missed on all five of his three-point attempts and finished with no points.
4. Another sparse turnout. After Friday night’s Kentucky win over Ohio drew a spirited crowd announced at 19,045, the early-season attendance paucity was back Monday.
While people have a number of theories about why there have been so many empty seats in Rupp early this season, ranging from pandemic-related concerns to lingering political backlash over last year’s national anthem protest, I think the relatively strong turnout for a Friday night game vs. a good Ohio team vs. the relatively light turnout for a Monday night game vs. winless Albany was telling.
I think the perceived strength of the opponent and when the game is played are the two primary factors in how large a crowd Kentucky draws for early-season home games.
5. Big-picture numbers. With the win, UK is now 192-17 in games played in Rupp Arena during the John Calipari coaching era (2009-10 through the present).
The Wildcats are now 11-0 vs. teams who, like Albany, are currently members of the America East Conference.
The victory extends Kentucky’s lead in the all-time men’s college hoops wins race to five victories over Kansas: 1. UK 2,331, KU 2,326.
Kansas will next play on Thanksgiving Day against North Texas in the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, Fla.
Kentucky’s next game is Friday night vs. North Florida in Rupp Arena.
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 9:16 PM.
