Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 118-82 win over Marshall
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Game day: No. 16 Kentucky 118, Marshall 82
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Friday night’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Marshall in Rupp Arena.
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Five things you need to know from No. 16 Kentucky’s 118-82 win over Marshall in men’s NCAA college basketball at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center:
1. A scintillating offensive first half. Kentucky lit up Rupp Arena with its offensive precision in half one.
In opening a 69-41 halftime advantage, the Wildcats shot 65% (26-for-40) from the floor; 72.7% on 3-point attempts (8-for-11) and 90% (9-for-10) on foul shots.
Of the 26 shots UK made in half one, 18 of them came after an assist.
The Cats had four players in double figures in scoring by halftime — and a fifth player with nine points.
There was likely no way to sustain such a high level of offensive efficiency for an entire game — and UK didn’t.
But the Wildcats still shot well enough in half two — 55.9% (19-for-34) from the field; 50% (8-for-16) on treys; 60% (3-for-5) on free throws — to set a John Calipari-era single-game scoring mark.
UK’s 118 points exceeded the 115 that the 2016-17 Cats hung on Arizona State in a 115-69 win over Arizona State in the Atlantis Showcase in the Bahamas.
Kentucky’s all-time mark for points in a game was set on Feb. 27, 1956, a 143-66 strafing of Georgia at the Jefferson County Armory in Louisville.
2. D.J. Wagner’s encore. On Monday night, in the fifth game of his college career, the touted freshman point guard at last got untracked offensively. In UK’s 96-88 overtime win over Saint Joseph’s, the 6-foot-4, 192-pound product of Camden, New Jersey, went for 22 points and seven assists.
Even in that 22-point scoring effort, though, Wagner went 7-for-17 from the field. Through five games, he was making only 34.4% of his shots (22-for-64) and 23.8% of his 3-point attempts (5-for-21).
That’s why what Wagner produced Friday night was so encouraging. In setting another career high with 28 points, Wagner hit 10 of 14 shots, 2 of 5 3-pointers and 6 of 7 foul shots.
Wagner also had five assists and three steals.
3. Reed Sheppard’s arc. The former North Laurel star entered Friday’s game off one of the more unusual two-game statistical arcs one will ever see.
In UK’s 101-67 win over Stonehill College a week ago, Sheppard hit 9 of 10 shots, 7 of 8 treys, and had 25 points.
Conversely, during Kentucky’s overtime victory over Saint Joseph’s, Sheppard took only one shot and did not score. The 6-3, 187-pound freshman did contribute four rebounds, four assists and five steals.
On Friday night, Sheppard was in the middle. He hit 4 of 6 shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers and both his free throws en route to 12 points. The 6-3, 187-pound Sheppard also had seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.
4. Triple-double number watch. When Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham reached halftime Friday night with nine points, five rebounds and seven assists, he was officially on triple-double watch.
Alas, the 6-2, 176-pound product of Hickory, North Carolina, finished with 16 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Even without the triple-double, Dillingham’s performance was stellar. He hit 7 of 8 field goals, both his 3-point tries and had only two turnovers.
Dillingham played so well, he dethroned Reed Sheppard from the latter’s normal perch atop UK’s plus/minus ledger. Kentucky was plus-30 with Dillingham on the court Friday night, while Sheppard was plus-26.
Meanwhile, the only triple-doubles in UK history remain those by:
▪ Chris Mills. The UK forward had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an 85-77 win over Austin Peay at Freedom Hall on Dec. 29, 1988.
▪ De’Aaron Fox. The Kentucky point guard was credited with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 115-69 victory over Arizona State on Nov. 28, 2016, in the Atlantis Showcase at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas.
▪ Isaiah Briscoe. The UK guard went for 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a 99-76 win at Mississippi on Dec. 29, 2016.
5. Taming the Thundering Herd. With its victory, Kentucky is now 13-0 all-time in men’s basketball games against Marshall.
UK is now 652-81 overall in games played at Rupp Arena.
In the John Calipari coaching era, the Cats are now 225-21 at Rupp.
This story was originally published November 24, 2023 at 9:04 PM.
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