Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 85-71 win over Georgia
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Game day: Kentucky 85, Georgia 71
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Tuesday night’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Georgia at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
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Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 85-71 win over Georgia in SEC men’s college basketball at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center:
1. Oscar’s tour de force. On his weekly radio show Monday night, John Calipari questioned whether Oscar Tshiebwe is in the same level of physical condition in 2022-23 as he was last season when the West Virginia transfer swept every major national player of the year award.
“I told Oscar, ‘You’re not spending as much time in the gym as you did a year ago. You got to get back in there and be committed,’” Calipari said.
Tshiebwe looked pretty darned fit Tuesday night in Rupp Arena.
In one of the best individual performances in the regal history of Kentucky men’s basketball, Tshiebwe had a career-high 37 points and 24 rebounds.
The 6-foot-9, 255-pound senior hit 12 of 20 shots and 13 of 18 free throws.
Tshiebwe was at his best when Kentucky needed him most. With UK trailing 42-34 at halftime, Tshiebwe opened the second half by scoring the Wildcats’ first nine points.
His biggest play, however, may have come when he rebounded his own missed free throw and threw it out to an open CJ Fredrick for a three-pointer that put Kentucky ahead 46-45 and sent the Rupp Arena crowd into a frenzy.
Many were surprised when Calipari publicly remarked on Tshiebwe’s conditioning level. As it turned out, maybe the Kentucky head coach knew how to motivate his star.
2. A UK quarterback change? Sahvir Wheeler returned from the shoulder injury that sidelined him from UK’s upset of No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday. However, Calipari chose to go primarily with freshman Cason Wallace at point guard.
In spite of foul trouble, Wallace played 28 minutes and had 17 points, making seven of 11 shots and two of four treys.
Wheeler played 11 minutes, missed his only shot, and finished with one rebound and three assists.
I have always been a Wheeler fan. The 5-foot-9 senior is a dynamic driver of the basketball, a clever passer and a relentless pusher of pace.
However, based on the results in Knoxville and Tuesday night in Rupp, it seems Kentucky plays better with Wallace at the point and shooting threats CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves spacing the court on the wings.
3. The floor spacers. Kentucky’s designated outside shooting threats, Antonio Reeves and CJ Fredrick, combined to go 2-of-10 on three-point shots.
Yet UK benefits from their presence on the floor.
It was not an accident that Oscar Tshiebwe wrecked the Georgia interior defense on a night Fredrick played 36 minutes. The former Covington Catholic star (three points on 1-of-8 shooting) is UK’s best feeder of the post, and just the threat of his outside shooting makes it harder for foes to double the post from the wing.
Reeves entered the Georgia contest riding a wave.
Over UK’s three games prior to Tuesday night, the Illinois State transfer had averaged 17 points while making 17 of 36 shots, seven of 18 three-pointers.
Against the Bulldogs, Reeves finished with 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting, 1-of-5 treys.
4. Mike White denied a milestone. With Georgia’s loss new Bulldogs Coach Mike White missed out on a chance to do something notable.
During his tenure as head man at Florida (2015-2022), White beat Kentucky in Rupp Arena twice — 66-64 in 2017-18 and 71-67 in 2020-21.
In the John Calipari coaching era at UK, only one coach — Tennessee’s Rick Barnes — has beaten the Wildcats three times in Rupp Arena.
Below is the list of coaches who have beaten UK in Rupp during Calipari’s coaching reign:
Rick Barnes, Tennessee; (three times); Mike White, Florida (twice); Scott Drew, Baylor; Billy Kennedy, Texas A&M; Billy Donovan, Florida; Mike Anderson, Arkansas; Steve Alford, UCLA; Bill Self, Kansas; Will Wade, LSU; Walter McCarty, Evansville; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Mike Brey, Notre Dame; Nate Oats, Alabama; Eric Musselman, Arkansas; Lamont Paris, South Carolina.
5. Cats vs. the SEC in Rupp. With the victory over Georgia, UK is now 347-47 against SEC opponents since Rupp Arena opened in 1976-77.
This story was originally published January 17, 2023 at 11:41 PM.
