Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s win over the Georgia Bulldogs
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Game day: No. 8 Kentucky 105, Georgia 96
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Georgia in Rupp Arena.
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Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 105-96 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at Rupp Arena.
1. Big Z was Z-errific
If you didn’t know better you would think this was all out of some sort of movie script. Early in the day, Kentucky basketball’s Zvonimir Ivisic, better known as “Big Z,” the 7-foot-2 center from Croatia, finds out that he has finally been cleared by the NCAA to play basketball for the Wildcats. Then four minutes into Kentucky’s victory over the Bulldogs, Ivisic steps on the floor and promptly delivers a perfect no-look, behind-the-back pass to teammate Antonio Reeves, who drills a 3-pointer as the entire arena becomes the E-Rupption Zone.
Then Big Z blocks a shot. Then Big Z hits a 3-pointer. And another 3-pointer. And yet another 3-pointer. By game’s end, Iivisic’s college debut included 13 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots, two steals, a flagrant-1 foul and a Class A technical foul for doing a chin-up on the rim after a dunk.
Did we get the entire Big Z experience?
“I don’t know,” Big Z said with a grin. “We’ll see.”
So besides the excitement, and the performance, what does the addition of Ivisic brings to a team that is now 13-3 overall, 4-1 in the SEC and ranked in the AP’s top 10?
“He’s unbelievably versatile,” senior teammate Tre Mitchell said. “He’s not somebody that’s limited to one thing. He just naturally flows into what we do because we have a bunch of dudes who are able to just play the game. He’s going to go out and have a lot of freedom and that freedom is what you saw tonight.”
2. Big Z wasn’t the whole show
There were plenty of supporting roles in the Big Z show led by Tre Mitchell, who scored 23 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished four assists. Mitchell was 8-for-10 from the floor and made 6 of his 7 free throws. Night in and night out, the West Virginia transfer has given this team consistent production and incomparable leadership.
D.J. Wagner had a big night with 18 points and 10 assists. Wagner was 8-for-12 shooting from the field on a night when the Cats shot 61.9% from the floor, their second-highest field goal percentage of the season behind the 63.9% against Stonehill. It was UK’s best shooting percentage in an SEC game since that sizzling 61.1% against Tennessee on Jan. 15, 2022, when the Cats marked the death of former coach Joe B. Hall by whipping the Volunteers 107-79.
Reed Sheppard was his normal do-everything self with 12 points, five assists and two steals. Sheppard made 4 of his 5 3-point attempts. As a team, UK was 14-for-25 shooting from behind the arc for 56%. That’s the fourth time this season Kentucky has made more than 50% of their 3-pointers when taking at least 20 attempts.
Said Calipari, “We were really good on offense.”
3. Defensive problems surfaced again
Calipari also said this, “In the second half with eight minutes to go, we were awful and (Georgia) kept coming.”
A 13-point favorite, Kentucky led by as many as 28 points before ending up with a nine-point win. Georgia shot 61% in the second half and an even 50% for the game. Mike White’s Bulldogs were 7-for-24 from 3-point range, but 24-for-38 for 63.2%.
I’m not going to get too bent out of shape over the fact the Cats were outscored 28-9 over the final 7:25. The contest was long since decided. Things got out of hand. Calipari thought Georgia players were sealing Kentucky’s bigs, allowing the Bulldogs to score on multiple drives. In his postgame presser, Cal motioned as if the Georgia bigs were using their arms to seal off Kentucky’s players.
Still, it fits the narrative that while possibly the best offensive team in the nation — one that added another weapon in a certain 7-foot-2 Croatian — the Cats still need work on the defensive end if they are going to make the kind of postseason run most believe this team is capable of making.
In fact, when the 1983-84 UK Final Four team was honored at halftime, Sam Bowie joked that if this Kentucky team did not win the championship, “It’s his fault.” Meaning Calipari. Bowie said it with a sly grin.
Sam also said this: “I was known as ‘Big Boo’ around the Commonwealth, but now I want to be known as ‘Big Z.’”
This story was originally published January 20, 2024 at 10:14 PM.
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