Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s win over Yale
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Game day: No. 16 Kentucky 69, Yale 59
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Yale in Rupp Arena.
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Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 69-59 victory over the Yale Bulldogs on Saturday at Rupp Arena:
1. Oscar Tshiebwe played like Oscar Tshiebwe
You remember Oscar, right? Big guy. Democratic Republic of Congo. The 6-foot-9 forward with a trophy case full of national player of the year hardware from last season. No. 34. Oscar Tshiebwe. You remember him, right?
Saturday surely refreshed your memory. Not that Tshiebwe had performed poorly in any of the six games he had played since returning from preseason knee surgery. He was averaging 14.2 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. That latter number was tops in the country.
Still, he did not look quite the same. He wasn’t the full Oscar, the real Oscar, the Oscar that UK fans fell in love with and opponents could not handle. Or at least he wasn’t the real Oscar until the second half Saturday.
Head coach John Calipari had said during the week that Tshiebwe was only “at about 85 percent” post-surgery. “I think it jumped up to 95,” Tshiebwe said on Saturday.
After all, the Real Oscar finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds. He scored 22 of those points in the second half. When Yale took a 35-33 lead less than 90 seconds into the second half, after Calipari called timeout, the real Oscar scored 12 straight points to push the home team out to a 45-40 lead.
“We tried to double him,” Yale Coach James Jones said, “but he’s a big, strong kid in there.”
Saturday was Tshiebwe’s fifth double-double in his seven games so far this season. He ended up 13 of 18 from the floor, with five offensive rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals.
Said Calipari: “We have an advantage and the kid’s name is Oscar and we’ve got to throw it to him.”
2. The Cats still need more from Jacob Toppin
If you believe in the plus/minus stats, senior forward Jacob Toppin led the Cats in that category with a plus-14. If you watched the game, however, you know that nine games into the season, the senior forward is still capable of giving so much more.
In last Sunday’s 73-69 win over Michigan in London, Calipari kept Toppin on the bench to start in the second half. Damion Collins started instead. When he got a second chance, Toppin ended up scoring 10 of his 14 points in what was a consequential win for the Cats.
Saturday, vs. Yale, Toppin did not score a point in the first half. He finished with four points, five rebounds and four assists. Good, but not great. And it took Toppin too long to get into the flow.
“We need him to elevate his game,” Calipari said. “If you can jump 40 inches, how about every once in awhile you jump 40 inches.”
But Calipari also complimented Toppin’s four assists, which he said came at key times of the game.
Bottom line: Through nine games, Toppin is averaging 11.9 points and 6.7 rebounds. He’s shooting 42 percent from the floor. He’s made just three of his 18 three-point attempts for 16.7 percent. He’s blocked three shots.
And he’s capable of so much more.
3. Kentucky’s execution has improved
Said Calipari: “I hope you’ve noticed we’re executing better.”
We have. Kentucky committed just nine turnovers on Saturday, compared to 15 assists. The Cats shot 61.5 percent from the field in the second half, 50.0 percent for the game. They took just 11 three-point shots and made four. They were 7 of 10 from the free-throw line.
After Yale took the lead in the second half, they executed the “get-the-ball-to-Oscar” game plan. It paid off with great dividends. UK’s late-game execution was better, as well.
Still, there is plenty of room for growth. CJ Fredrick played just nine minutes and missed both of his shots. He’s 6 of 23 from the floor in his last five games. Daimion Collins played just six minutes and committed two turnovers. Ugonna Onyenso played two minutes. He was lifted after allowing the ball to be “ripped out of his hands,” Calipari said.
The good news: Kentucky’s next game is not until Saturday against UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. The team will be preparing and taking final exams this week. Still, Calipari said he’ll be able to get in a couple of hours of practice time each day before the Cats leave for New York on Thursday. There are things to work on.
“We don’t make every shot. There’s sometimes you look discombobulated,” Calipari said. “Part of it is you’re playing a team and maybe they’re doing something defensively you’re not used to, then you got to talk them through it.
“(But) we’ve got a really smart team. A skilled team.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2022 at 4:41 PM.
